


Second Bite at the Cherry

by Sakinthra



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Sakura, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, POV Haruno Sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 49
Words: 176,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15001781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakinthra/pseuds/Sakinthra
Summary: There's been a storm brewing inside Sakura ever since Sasuke left to seek out Orochimaru, and the growing realization that she might not be half the shinobi her teammates are. She's always been the one that held back and let the boys finish the job, but it's clear she can't let herself be the weak one any longer. It's time to take her fate into her own hands.It started with breaking into a library. But after a slew of what could be arguably called bad decisions, Sakura puts together an unlikely team of shinobi and decides to take on several impossible goals: defeating Akatsuki, keeping her loved ones safe, and, the most impossible goal of all: the unification of the shinobi world.Sakura's not going to be the weak one of Team Seven anymore.(A pre-Shippuden divergence AU. Updates weekly.)





	1. Chapter 1

When compared to the other members of her team, everyone told Sakura Haruno that she was the smart one.

It was a nice enough statement, and given the denseness that the boys seemed to exhibit regularly, she wouldn’t necessarily call it an untrue one. While the boys would rush into situations with bravado, never considering consequences, she was the one who sat back and…

Well, she could _try_ to claim that she was analyzing the situation for the best possible course of action, but that wouldn’t be quite true. The truth was that she was a coward, afraid to act for fear of not being able to do well enough, for fear of failing, for fear of death. Even in times when she had roused herself to action, she found herself grossly inadequate compared to these boys who didn’t seem to have had any fears at all in their natural lives. So, yes, it _was_ smart that she sat back and stayed out of major combat. It was smart that she let the boys take the heat, and the damage, and do the dirty work while she stayed out of the way. In any other team, she probably could get away with this for the majority of her career. She could learn support tactics, aiding the go-getters, never truly putting herself in danger’s path… _that_ was smart for someone like her. She was no Uchiha. She didn’t have any special bloodline that gave her jutsu beyond her comprehension. She certainly wasn’t Naruto either, and though she couldn’t say whether she considered the Kyuubi a blessing or a curse on the boy (though she leaned towards the latter), what she _could_ say was that it gave Naruto a considerable advantage over other ninja their age in terms of chakra and endurance. No, Sakura was neither of those two. She was the smart one…and all that meant, really, was that she was the weak one.

So maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her that Sasuke had so easily been able to disable her when she’d tried to stop him that night. She’d barely even posed a challenge. All she’d threatened to do was scream; she couldn’t even have threatened to tie him up and drag him back to the village if he tried to go. She hadn’t been smart, then, she’d been a stupid girl who’d been so overcome with emotion towards the boy that she loved that she’d been unable to act as a true shinobi ought to. She’d allowed him to escape, into the hands of enemy shinobi that had proven too much of a powerful distraction to allow Naruto to catch up to Sasuke in time.

Sasuke was gone, many of her friends wounded, and Naruto…

Well, Naruto was off taking steps to improve himself. He’d taken his failure in stride, as he typically did, and used it as an excuse to train and get stronger. She had heard enough about Jiraiya to know that the sage would likely train Naruto well. Naruto would get stronger and return and…well, she wasn’t really quite sure what would happen after that, but knowing Naruto he would try to find Sasuke and bring him home. And he would succeed, wouldn’t he?

It’s what she would have thought, before the failure of the last mission. Naruto and Sasuke had beat many odds, to complete the mission in the Land of Waves, to push their way through the chuunin exams…who wouldn’t have believed in their continued success? Sakura wasn’t dumb. Even if they were just beating the odds, they were _consistently_ beating the odds, so it was smart to assume that they’d continue doing it, even if, in the latest case, they were turning their own odds against each other.

She wasn’t _surprised_ Sasuke had gotten away. Just massively disappointed. Disappointed in him, disappointed in Naruto, and disappointed in herself.

She could move on from this. Request transfer onto another team and continue to sit in the shadows, supporting, watching, never really moving forward. She could sit back and wait for Naruto’s return this way, and when the time came she could aid him, try to beat the odds once again… she could even attempt to get some supplementary training. She was smart enough to get into the medical core if she tried, or she could even ask some of the older chuunin to teach her a thing or two. That would probably be the smart thing to do. And she was the smart one of the group.

But smart moves didn’t beat the odds. So Sakura decided that it was time to do something really, _really_ stupid. And that night, Sakura decided she was going to break into the Konoha Archive Library.


	2. Chapter 2

If Sakura was going to be smart, _really_ be smart, she needed to start doing what she had been supposed to be doing this entire time and look ahead. Looking ahead, however, required some looking behind first.

What she did know about Sasuke Uchiha is that, with the exception of his brother Itachi, he was the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan. She knew that Itachi had massacred the entire clan when Sasuke was seven years old; as to why Itachi would kill his own family, she had no hints, not even from Sasuke’s vague muttering on the matter. She liked to believe no one was screwed up enough to kill their entire family for sadistic pleasure, but psychopaths existed and there was no ruling that out. Still, it wasn’t enough information. Why hadn’t anyone offered to take Sasuke on after the massacre? Had the village thought it acceptable to leave a seven-year-old boy to live alone in the Uchiha quarters? And more importantly, had there been any further investigation into Itachi’s whereabouts? Itachi had been able to just wander into the village, put Sasuke into a coma, and attempt to kidnap Naruto, and barely anyone had been prepared to stop him. Why hadn’t the movement of a mass murderer been monitored? Why hadn’t Itachi been captured and brought in, or even executed for what he’d done? Claiming that an Uchiha was too powerful to take in had to be some sort of fallacy. Itachi had taken down his family, but an entire village? The Third Hokage? She was missing information, and it wasn’t necessarily _conspiracy_ level information, but the more she knew about the Uchihas in general, the better. Maybe they really could be that powerful, which would explain Orochimaru’s obsession with Sasuke and explain how Itachi had so easily evaded the village and slaughtered his own.

What she knew about Naruto Uzumaki was that he was an orphan boy who’d had the Nine Tailed Fox sealed inside him after the beast’s attack on Konoha a dozen years ago. He had no clan, no inheritance to his name, no bloodline jutsu, nothing but the Kyuubi’s power. For unknown reasons, likely the Kyuubi itself, an organization called Akatsuki sought to kidnap him. This organization included Itachi Uchiha, and at one point had included Orochimaru himself. She needed to know more about the organization, but also about Naruto. Why had he been chosen to contain the Kyuubi? There had been plenty of orphans after the war to choose from, and more importantly, plenty of strong shinobi who would have been far more suited to dealing with the beast’s power. And why, on top of everything, had the Kyuubi’s sealing been kept secret from the village’s youth? And most importantly of all…what was the Kyuubi, and why had it attacked the village to begin with?

Getting inside the archives would be the hard part, of course. They didn’t even need surveillance, what with the layers upon layers of protective seals that had been laid on every door, but despite this there were shinobi guarding the perimeter with such tightness that Sakura hadn’t been able to find any way to slip past them after a full week of silent watching.

So, she asked herself, what would Naruto have done?

Perhaps it was a strange question to immediately ask, but she’d learned through a grapevine that Naruto had managed to sneak a scroll of forbidden jutsu away from the archives after failing his genin exam for the third time. He’d been wet behind the ears then, not having learned half the jutsu and skills he’d used to get through the chuunin exams, and if he’d managed to do it, surely she could as well. She just had to think like him and put herself in his shoes.

It came to her after a solid day of considering options that Naruto was an expert at doing things that people didn’t expect. And more importantly, she’d seen Naruto approach a ‘perfectly protected’ area before in the chuunin exams, finding a way around it by finding the one blind spot that one Hyuuga prodigy hadn’t expected.

Distraction, and surprise. She didn’t necessarily need the guards to be _gone_ from the archives. She just needed them to not be looking while she tunneled under the building and made her way into it from beneath. Thankfully, she knew another infamous prankster who had the extra bonus of being related to the late Third, which meant that a little mischief wasn’t likely to get him arrested. A quick smile, a bat of her eyes, and some careful pleading, and Konohamaru would be off creating some havoc with a large herd of expertly diverted cattle.

Then, Sakura prepared to get her hands dirty. Digging holes was something that had been taught in school, of course, as digging a hole large enough to hide oneself in the midst of battle was a ‘typical shinobi technique’. This, of course, required some precise chakra control and the arm strength to push through the thicker layers of the dirt. Prolonged digging could lead to injury, of course, if your body wasn’t prepared enough to keep up with the effort. Sakura knew that she didn’t have Naruto’s endurance. Digging a hole from a safe spot all the way beneath the Archive would only end in failure. She’d dig her hands raw and bloody before she made it halfway. Thankfully, she didn’t need standard digging techniques in order to get the job done. She just needed the public library, and ample amount of time to learn some basic Earth-style ninjutsu. The Tunneling Technique was a common enough ninjutsu that she found a scroll with the hand-seals after but an hour of looking. From there, it was just practice. The Tunneling Technique required visualizing the entirety of the tunnel from start to finish. Estimating length was a bonus, though in the heat of battle such estimations were far too much to calculate quickly, so Sakura deduced that the knowledge wasn’t entirely necessary. Still, she prepared as much as she could, guessing the length she’d need the tunnel to be and working on making tunnels precisely that long. Making the training grounds full of holes wasn’t something she was particularly fond of doing, given that she needed to practice the jutsu required to fill them again, but hey, she could consider it training.

After two weeks of practice, taking on mundane missions, and putting in the right words with Konohamaru, her plan was set, and the day of the infiltration arrived. It was nerve-wracking, she had to admit. She’d never been a rule breaker, and for a first time, she was really breaking one of the biggest possible rules in the book. She could be imprisoned for life for daring to attempt such a thing. At the very least, she’d have to explain herself, probably directly to the Hokage, and she doubted that ‘platonic concern’ would pass as a reason for sneaking into a restricted area.

Still, it was a better reason than Naruto would have had on the night of his failed genin exam. Sakura took a deep breath, waited until she heard the thundering of hooves in the distance, and made four hand signs.

Ram. Dog. Rat. Bird. The Earth Release: Tunneling Technique.

A hole formed directly in front of her, large enough for her to crawl into, but small enough to be reasonably concealed for a decent length of time. Sakura didn’t waste any time testing the hole’s integrity before crawling in; she might only have one chance at this, and every second mattered. It was a long and dark crawl to the other side of the tunnel, and with every pull of her hands she felt herself become more anxious. There was no light at the other end of the tunnel; the archives were kept dark unless they were in use. Thankfully, that was a decent enough sign that there were no guards inside the building. Stupid, Sakura thought to herself, but she supposed the village hadn’t thought anyone capable of getting inside, let alone someone like her. She pulled herself up and out into a quiet room. With a small click of her flashlight, the shelves lit up around her. She saw scroll after scroll, tome after tome…more than she could ever hope to read in a single night.

Sakura glanced back at the hole she’d made. She could go get food, but that would waste time she didn’t have. They might have caught Konohamaru’s herd by then. No, she had taken her one chance, and she wasn’t going to waste it.

With a push of her chakra, she sealed the tunnel behind her. She’d eaten before she’d started this venture, which meant, according to her basic survival classes, that she had an average of three to four days before dehydration would kill her. Then, she’d need enough energy to create a tunnel and scamper her way home before any of the guards could figure out how someone had managed to create a tunnel on the inside of the building, and where to. She wouldn’t have Konohamaru’s distraction, which meant they’d almost certainly catch on the minute she made the tunnel. She’d have to move fast. And the only advantage she’d have would be that they wouldn’t know where the tunnel led right away, which would give her enough time to get a head start running. Plus, they likely wouldn’t be looking for a Konoha kunoichi, and she wasn’t _stealing_ anything, so they wouldn’t have any damning evidence. She could do this. She just had to take a deep breath and start what she came to do.

So, Sakura picked a scroll and read.

It was several hours before she found a collection of scrolls related to the Akatsuki, and not long after before she found an entire scroll on what she read to be the ‘Nine Tailed Beasts’. Not the Kyuubi, mind, who was _a_ nine-tailed beast, but that there were nine beasts in total of immense chakra who once roamed the planet. Forces of nature, untamed by man…until one day they _were_ tamed, several of them, by none other than Konoha’s First Hokage. Though several of the beasts were traded out to other countries in order to broker peace, Konoha kept hold of the strongest of the bunch: the Kyuubi. Only, they weren't  _really_ tamed, they were merely sealed away within the bodies of shinobi with exceptionally high chakra levels. Shinobi of a certain clan name…Uzumaki.

So, it _wasn’t_ a coincidence that Naruto had been chosen to house the Kyuubi within his body. His clan had been doing it for three generations. The first, one Mito Uzumaki, had very little written on her, but the second, Kushina, had grown up within the hidden village. And not only that, she’d gotten married to a local shinobi.

No, not just any local shinobi. One Minato Namikaze…the Fourth Hokage. And from there, a scratched record on a scroll confirmed the final piece of the puzzle.

Naruto was the son of Kushina and the Fourth Hokage.

Sakura took a moment to process this revelation. Had Naruto known who his family was? No, he couldn’t have. No one could have, else how could they have possibly come to loathe the son of the city’s savior? The Fourth Hokage was revered as a martyr, and if it was known that he’d had a son, well…something was off. Some piece of the puzzle that these scrolls didn’t go into. How was it that the Kyuubi had broken free of Kushina’s seal to begin with? Did that mean it was possible the Kyuubi could break out of Naruto?

More questions, and fewer answers. Sakura felt as though she’d completed the edges to a puzzle, but now was slowly reaching into the box for the rest of the pieces. Only she was completely blind and didn’t know where exactly in the box to reach, nor where the pieces even fit together.

If only Naruto were here, she lamented quietly. Not that Naruto would remember his parents, but maybe he’d heard some clues from others, some pieces that Sakura wasn’t quite privy to.

As for the rest of the Tailed Beasts, Sakura found some curiosity in learning about the One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku, whom was currently in the possession of Sunagakure. Gaara’s ‘monster’, Sakura deduced. He and Naruto had been more similar than either of them had realized.

And the organization, Akatsuki, was looking for information on these Tailed Beasts, even going so far as to try and kidnap Naruto. Nothing was known as to the motives, _why_ they wanted these Tailed Beasts so badly, but certain assumptions could be made. Seeing the power that the Kyuubi granted Naruto firsthand as she had was more than enough to convince her of the Kyuubi’s worth, and that was just one of the nine. If the Akatsuki came into possession of all nine…well, they were already an organization of S-class missing nin. They’d be unstoppable. Sakura shuddered at the thought. Even without Sasuke’s relation to Itachi, she was becoming scared of the man. He’d slaughtered his family, then joined such a fearsome organization. Itachi was becoming more villainous in her mind by the moment.

If only Sasuke were here, she lamented once more, chuckling a bit at her train of thought. Why, in but a few hours of illegal reading, she’d already deduced the most efficient way to hunt down Itachi, something she doubted Sasuke had put together yet. If he had simply stuck around with Naruto, Itachi would have eventually come to _him_ again.  

Not that they would have been prepared for such a monster, true. She was starting to see now why Sasuke had sought out Orochimaru. If the Hidden Leaf couldn’t restrain such a person…who could? Though, the Third Hokage _had_ fought Orochimaru off…

Still not enough information. Sakura buckled down and began to methodically go through scrolls.

The worst part about spending an entire day in a dark building full of dusty scrolls was _not_ finding what you were looking for. Though she found ample information about the Tailed Beasts and the various Akatsuki members, there was absolutely nothing on the Uchiha clan other than Itachi’s dossier. It was more like a void, a purposeful gap in information that roused Sakura’s suspicions like nothing else. Not only had the clan been wiped out, but it seemed as though all of the information on them had been wiped out as well. Was it Itachi who had destroyed the records? Perhaps wanting to ensure certain clan secrets remained only with him? Then why leave Sasuke alive…why leave any competition or potential weaknesses alive?

Her stomach growled, and Sakura began to wonder how long she could stand hunger pains until her brain wasn’t able to focus properly. Even a small drop of water would have been heavenly. Her eyes strained from squinting in the dim light, and words on scrolls were starting to blur together. She would have killed to have legal access to this place, the ability to read whenever she wanted, learn what she needed to…but that kind of clearance would take years to achieve. Years she didn’t have.

The more she realized that she wasn’t going to find anything Uchiha related, the more her attention began to linger on some of the other scrolls in the building. There was an entire wing dedicated to various jutsu techniques, some even being written records of clan techniques that she was sure certain clans would have killed her for even setting eyes upon. At first, she resisted looking at such scrolls, but eventually she couldn’t help but take peeks. Not that she’d be able to learn any of these quick enough in her time here, but if she knew the mechanics of how they worked, she’d never be caught off guard by them. The Nara Shadow jutsus, the Yamanaka Mind jutsus, the Hyuuga Byakugan…records of all these prominent techniques were here, almost begging to be read. And perhaps it was the hunger delirium setting in, but Sakura eventually couldn’t stop herself from reading everything she could get her hands on.

It was when the dizziness began to set in that Sakura realized she’d been in the building for longer than she could remember. With no clocks or sun to gauge the time, days could have passed without her knowing. She was still conscious enough to know when her time was up; much longer and she’d starve to death.

Oh, but there was one more scroll she hadn’t read yet…

Discipline, her inner voice shouted out at her. She had to remain disciplined. Maybe Naruto and Sasuke would have risked more time, but she wasn’t them, and she needed to make sure she had enough chakra to make her escape.

She could always take a scroll, her delirious mind argued. Take something, learn the techniques, become a master of ninjutsu that none but the strongest could know about…

Stealing, her inner voice reminded her. That was stealing, and if she was caught, that would be a higher offense than just being caught in here reading. If they found her outside without a scroll, she could argue they had no proof she was in here. If they caught her with a scroll…

But how else was she going to get strong? She didn’t have some sage to teach her new techniques. Kakashi had barely paid her any attention, focusing his eyes on Sasuke more often than herself or Naruto. Even though Naruto had made it to the final rounds of the chuunin exams, Kakashi had dumped him in the hands of another jounin. No, she didn’t have anyone that could teach her things. Not her sensei. Not some sage. Only her scrolls, and that was it.

Well, she’d already made one stupid decision by breaking in here. What was one more? Sakura grabbed the first small scroll that she laid eyes on, something that she could fit in a pouch without arousing suspicion. Any of the larger ones would have held more secrets, but would have been far harder to hide. She had to have some measure of caution in her stupidity, didn’t she?

She returned to the spot where she had exited her tunnel before, the ground there still broken up and soft, despite her having filled it in. It would make it easier to make the tunnel again, she hoped, if she was just reopening a tunnel from before. Sakura took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself. This would be the hardest part. This would be quick jutsu, running, hiding, deception, a high risk of danger and imprisonment…

But really, wasn’t this what being a shinobi was all about?

For the first time in her year of wearing a leaf headband, Sakura felt like a shinobi at least.

Ram. Dog. Rat. Bird.

Sakura put her hands to the ground and prepared to run.


	3. Chapter 3

One of the most important techniques a shinobi could learn was the art of misdirection. Which now led Sakura to a very important question: could she still call it misdirection if it was accidental?

She’d made it through her exit hole in what was probably some sort of record, sealing it behind her, brushing the dirt off her pants, and gone about five feet before a jounin had landed nearby. To her credit, she’d stayed calm, only hesitating to make a mental note of which direction would probably be the best to make an escape. The jounin had taken a step towards her, and then…

He’d asked if she’d seen anything suspicious nearby.

To which she innocently replied that of course she hadn’t, but if there was something going on she would be more than happy to help. That prompted the jounin to dismiss her and send her on her way, leaving Sakura behind with a quick leap to the trees. Sakura took a moment to breathe. She felt anxiety shaking its way into her hands and feet, and the weight of the small scroll she’d hidden in her waist-pack seemed to grow with every passing second. She exhaled and began to walk.

The unfortunate implication of the conversation was that clearly none of the village’s jounin thought her strong enough to warrant a threat, or any suspicion. The fortunate implication of the conversation was the exact same realization. By distinguishing herself as someone who followed the rules and wasn’t particularly talented, she’d essentially made herself invisible. Because of her own incompetence, she’d gotten away with breaking into a high security building _and_ stealing one of the valuable scrolls within. It was kind of funny, now that she thought about it. She’d accomplished in a week what the village had been certain nobody could do.

Maybe there was something to brashly running into a situation after all. Sakura made a mental note not to yell at Naruto so much for…well, being Naruto.

There were only two loose ends she needed to worry about. The first was out of her control; if the jounin she’d met ever thought to question what she’d been doing in the woods outside the archive, she was certain suspicion would fall on her immediately. Game over. Nothing she could do about that, so essentially this was a test of just how good at beating the odds she was compared to the rest of Team Seven. It was possible her luck was abysmal just to balance out the other two, but she could hope for otherwise. The second loose end was Konohamaru, and Sakura hoped that his little pranking incident was far enough in the past that no one would think to associate it. It wasn’t the first time the kid had caused havoc, and it wouldn’t be the last. That was what she was counting on.

So, with both loose ends out of her control, that left only one course of action to be done immediately, and that was to take a look at the scroll she’d filched.

Oh, and _eat_ , of course. There was a strong possibility that was important.

Thankfully, her parents had never been the type to ask questions. The life of a shinobi was always going to be full of secrets, something they’d resigned themselves to once Sakura had been accepted as a genin. She’d never be able to tell them everything about her job. So, when she got home, she received a greeting from her mother and father and nothing more than that, allowing her to head straight to the kitchen for a bite and then straight to her bed for some much-needed sleep.

Sakura woke up more than half a day later. (She’d probably never slept so well in her life.) She was almost hesitant to open her eyes, afraid that she’d find a jounin squad waiting in her room to arrest her. There were only her books, however, and the only eyes staring at her were those from the pictures on her wall of Team Seven. She let her eyes linger on the photographs. The first one had been from when they’d first been assigned on a team together. She and Kakashi’d had the decency to smile, at least, but Naruto and Sasuke were both sulking for one reason or another. Usually she would scoff at the picture, but today she couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright, you two.” She said aloud as she reached for her pouch. “Today’s the day I’m going to start catching up with the both of you. I’m not going to be left behind anymore.”

She didn’t even hesitate to open the scroll, eagerly peering at the contents within. Her eyes glanced over the hand signs and descriptions once, twice, a third time…

These…these were all _sensing_ jutsu!

Sakura groaned out loud. Of all the scrolls that had been in that archive, she picked the one that didn’t have anything offensive at all! This wouldn’t help her show up Sasuke’s Chidori or Naruto’s new Rasengan. Oh, but she’d be really good at finding them in the woods if they happened to get lost. In a fit of anger, she threw the scroll against her bedroom wall, watching it bounce and unravel on the floor in front of her. She’d gone through all that damn work for such a stupid scroll. It would be stupid to try and go back for another one, right?

She allowed herself to grump all through breakfast and all through getting ready for the day. The scroll remained on the floor, and Sakura had to tell herself not to step on it as she made her way around her room.

Eventually, she returned to sitting on her bed, staring at the scroll at her feet. She’d been gone a couple days, so it would probably be wise to report to Tsunade and let her know that her ‘vacation’ had ended. But…she was also recovering from a couple days of starvation and sleep deprivation. She could probably afford to take another day for herself. And even if this scroll didn’t have the flashy, powerful jutsu she’d been hoping for, it would probably still be good to learn what she could from it, right?

Sakura let herself groan again before scooping the scroll off the floor. If she could do anything, it was read, and damn it all, she was going to make sure her stunt had been worth the effort.

 

 

Chakra was a unique blend of one’s physical and spiritual energies. This was Shinobi 101. The more a shinobi trained their body, and the more they practiced jutsu, the more their chakra would develop, and the more powerful jutsu they’d be able to perform.

(Sakura figured she could use this as an excuse for practicing these stupid sensing jutsu over and over again. It was technically training, right?)

The first and foremost technique among the sensing branch of jutsu was being able to detect the presence of chakra to begin with. It didn’t tell you anything about the chakra; it was more like asking if someone who could use chakra was present nearby. This jutsu was easy enough to practice, especially here in the village where she could gauge its success near instantly. The immediate problem was that Sakura’s current sensory range was a spectacular five meters, and if that’s how close she had to be to detect a chakra user, that essentially made the technique useless.

But, she had to give herself _some_ credit. The first time she’d tried the technique, her range had been a measly two meters. She’d doubled her range in a morning of practice, and if she continued to double it every half day, why, she’d be able to sense the entirety of Konoha after a week of practice!

Ha. She wished it worked like that.

The improvement did give her some hope, however. This rudimentary jutsu barely required any chakra at all to use, which meant she could practice frequently, and if she kept getting better this quickly, she could advance to the more complicated sensory jutsus in no time. She’d become the best damn sensing shinobi the village had ever seen. Sure, she wouldn’t be able to _do_ anything to an enemy after she’d sense them, but hey, she’d know where they were!

So, Sakura continued to practice, making her way through the village and quietly figuring out where every nearby shinobi was. It was inevitable, she supposed, that she would run into some familiar faces along the way. Her concentration was broken by an extremely loud voice penetrating her ear drums.

“SAKURA! OVER HERE!”

Sakura winced, looking over to see a familiar green-suited shinobi waving at her from a nearby booth. The rest of Team Guy were busy eating, no doubt having settled after a mission of some sorts. Despite being startled, Sakura gave Lee a warm smile as she made her way over to him.

“Hey Lee. Long day?”

“More like a long _week_.” Lee’s teammate, Tenten, commented. “Tsunade’s having us run messages to Suna so we can establish which routes are the quickest. And this one…” She jabbed at Lee. “Wants to break a world record running there.”

“There is hardly a point to establish a quickest route if you are not trying to get there as quick as possible!” Lee countered. “It is not my fault if you are unable to keep up. That only means that you require more training!”

“Oh, give me a break…” Tenten sighed into her meal. Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle at this. Lee was always the same old Lee, even after everything. He couldn’t even use jutsu, but he’d still become formidable enough that other shinobi couldn’t hope to keep up with him. If he could do that, well, she could perfect her own new jutsu. She just had to train as hard as he did, if that was even possible.

She froze, an idea suddenly sparking in her mind.

“It sounds like you could use someone to wear Lee out a bit.” Sakura spoke up. “Maybe someone to train with him?”

Tenten looked shocked at the suggestion, but before she could reply, Lee began to shout over her.

“Sakura, do you mean to say that you would want to train with me?” She could almost see the hearts appearing in the boy’s eyes. She knew Lee had a crush on her, and she wasn’t trying to take advantage of that, but Lee _was_ the best taijutsu user that she knew well enough to ask for help. She had to train her body as well as practice her jutsu if she wanted to get better, and even if it was probably going to kill her, training with Lee was going to be the best way to do that. She gave Lee a nod.

“Yeah. I…well, I’m trying to get stronger, you see, and I figure training in taijutsu is a good place to- “

“Then we shall train together, and we’ll make you the best fighter in the whole village! After me and Gai-sensei, of course!” Lee stood up, already raring to go, before being pulled back down by Tenten.

“At least eat your lunch first, and we have to report to Tsunade after this. Train with Sakura later.”

“But the spark of youth waits for no one, Tenten! Sakura’s ready to train, so we must begin immediately!”

“Actually, I could probably stand to wait until tomorrow. I’m practicing a new jutsu today.” Sakura piped up. “Maybe we could start in the morning, before I do missions for the day?”

“So it shall be, Sakura! Be ready bright and early for the best training of your life!”

Bright and early. That she could do. She gave Lee her word that she would be up to train before heading back off into the village for more practice sensing. By the time she returned home, almost completely drained of chakra, she’d increased her range to a full ten meters. It was enough to make her feel good about herself, something she hadn’t managed to feel since…

Well, it had been a while.

 

 

The next morning, her pride turned into immediate regret.

Lee trained _hard_. There was no other way of putting it. He set goals for himself that Sakura was certain no human was capable of reaching, and when he inevitably did not reach said goal, he ‘repented’ by immediately assigning himself another one. At first, it seemed rather ridiculous. Sakura knew she couldn’t hope to keep up, let alone even come close to making any of the goals, and after the first fifteen minutes of push-ups, sit-ups, running, jumping, punching, kicking…she felt as though her body was going to just quit without any say from herself.

But…this wasn’t meant to be a one-day fix. She wasn’t going to get stronger after just one session with Lee, and Lee hadn’t gotten this strong after just one day of practice either. He’d pushed himself this hard every day until his body had gotten capable of getting closer to meeting these absurd goals, and Sakura had seen the results. Strong, fast, with reflexes quicker than anyone… _she_ could be like that if she trained like this every day. It would take years to reach Lee’s level, but any sort of improvement she could take before Naruto got back was something that would help when they went to find Sasuke again.

So, Sakura pushed herself, harder than she’d ever pushed herself before. Sure, it took her half an hour to get through Lee’s one hundred assigned pushups, and sure, her shins were bruised purple from kicking at a practice dummy for so long, but this was just step one, she kept telling herself. This was just step one.

Less difficult was explaining to Tsunade why she looked so exhausted after half a week of vacation time. All she had to do was mention Lee’s involvement, and that was enough to dismiss the questioning entirely. With that, it was back to mundane missions, and the start of a routine. Early morning taijutsu training with Lee, missions, then afternoon jutsu training. Her sensory range wasn’t improving at the rate she’d hoped, but it was improving, enough so that she’d allow herself to move onto more complicated ones soon enough.

A week passed, and then, just as Sakura was beginning to hit a rhythm, a bomb dropped, in the form of an announcement from Tsunade.

“I’ve decided that it is not beneficial for you to be working solo missions any longer.” Tsunade told her. “We need you to be part of a team again so you can help out with more important missions. I’m going to be assigning you to a new team, starting tomorrow.”

Sakura’s heart seemed to sink into her stomach. As far as she stood, one thing was abundantly clear. She was Team Seven, not some addition to some strange team she’d probably never met before. She could not allow herself to be put on another team.

She gritted her teeth and voiced her acceptance to Tsunade, but deep down her mind was beginning to plan.

It was time to do something stupid again.


	4. Chapter 4

The new team wasn’t terrible in the way that cold soup wasn’t terrible. You could deal with it, maybe even grow to appreciate it over time, but at the end of the day, it just wouldn’t be as good as the hotter variety.

(Sakura liked the double entendre of her metaphor.)

The team was made up of a jounin and two genin a couple years her senior. They had lost a team member during Orochimaru’s invasion, and Tsunade had declared their mourning period over by assigning Sakura to their group. Maybe Tsunade had hoped that their loss of a teammate could be something Sakura related to, and maybe if Sakura hadn’t developed her own plans, she could have let herself.

In a way, she felt bad for the team. They’d put their best foot forward in trying to be welcoming to her, and she was inevitably going to disappoint them. Was this how Sasuke had felt, when he’d made the decision to join Orochimaru? He’d claimed that she was incapable of understanding him, that _no one_ was capable of understanding him. Funny how now, in following in his footsteps, Sakura felt like she understood him better than she ever had before.

Of course, the difference between Sasuke and herself was that when she decided to leave the village, she didn’t just up and wander off without a thought to the consequences. She was going to plan. She was going to leave in a way that wouldn’t arouse suspicion for a while, a couple days if she was lucky, and she was going to leave for a place that nobody would think to find her.

It had admittedly taken her a while to decide on her future plans. There was a part of her, a very dominant part of her, that had thought about simply going to find Sasuke and joining him. It was possible she’d get killed in the process, but if she went in swearing allegiance to Sasuke, and possibly even Orochimaru, she figured she could at least get taken in as some sort of guard. She could stay close to Sasuke without getting in the way of his ambition, and do whatever it took to keep him safe from Orochimaru.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Orochimaru. Sakura couldn’t allow herself to be in that creep’s presence for more than a minute, even if it meant being near Sasuke. She couldn’t swear any sort of allegiance to him. What would Naruto think? What would she think of herself?

She loved Sasuke, more than anything, but there were depths that she couldn’t allow herself to sink to.

This didn’t exactly leave her a ton of other options. She couldn’t stay, not with this new team, and if she rebelled against Tsunade, that would just get her status as a ninja revoked, or something equally severe. Even Naruto eventually bowed his head when the Hokage gave an order. But if she wasn’t going to Sasuke, where exactly could she hope to go? And what would she be doing? She had her scroll to study, but eventually she’d run out of things to practice. (Not to mention money, potentially food…she’d never been the greatest at hunting, even if she could recite every proper camping technique she’d learned at school from memory.)

Sakura needed a goal. She already had the goal of learning her scroll and getting stronger, but she needed a more primary goal that she could dedicate the next couple years to. (Something that would justify running away from the village, getting labelled a missing-nin, and all the wonderful perks that came with that.) So, Sakura changed her focus. If there wasn’t anything she could do to help Sasuke, short of getting strong enough to pummel Orochimaru’s face into the dirt, then maybe there was something she could do to help _Naruto_ instead.

This didn’t mean traipsing off to find him and Jiraiya, of course. She knew Jiraiya had a reputation for going his own way, but she had the feeling she’d be sent right back home to Tsunade the instant Jiraiya caught sight of her. No, she would have to help him in another way, and that way was doing what had gotten her started on her mild crime spree to begin with. She was going to have to gather information. She was going to find out whatever she could about Akatsuki and about the Tailed Beasts, so that when Naruto returned she could help him master his own strength and keep him safe.

From there, Sakura started forming a plan. She didn’t want to waste too much time in the village, now that her mind was made up, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to take advantage of the fact that she _did_ have a bit of time to waste. Going on higher ranked missions with her new team meant a higher income, all of which she could put towards preparing for her journey. It also meant opportunities to train. She didn’t inform her jounin superior about her newly learned sensing jutsu, but she could still practice it on missions. (Gaining, in the process, a reputation for having incredibly keen senses…something Sakura wasn’t going to dispute.)

She gave herself two weeks. Two more weeks of narrowing down a training schedule with Lee, two more weeks to build up her wallet, and two more weeks to perfect the jutsu that was going to be the linchpin of her escape plan. In a twist of fate, her sensing jutsu was going to prove essential.

She couldn’t leave by the main road, of course. She’d be far too easy to track. That was where Sasuke had gone wrong, and because of Sasuke, the security at the main gate had since doubled. That meant that Sakura had to leave the village in a more indirect way, namely under the surrounding walls. She’d already gotten well practiced at the Tunneling technique, and since it didn’t necessarily matter where she showed up on the other side, she didn’t need to practice preciseness. All she needed to practice was speed and sensing, so she could avoid anyone that might try to stop her.

 

 

The day of her plan’s execution arrived, and it took everything Sakura had not to give into her nerves. Spending the morning with Lee almost did her in; thinking about how he’d react when he heard what she’d done…

Well, as Lee put it, getting stronger wasn’t supposed to be easy. Going her own way was definitely not  going to be easy, and if she let Lee stop her from her goals, then she certainly wouldn’t be good enough for Sasuke.

She started planting the seeds of her plan as she spent the day with her assigned team. They usually ate lunch together, and it was easy enough to convince the others that something she’d eaten hadn’t quite agreed with her. Eventually, she was sent home ‘sick’, along with permission to take the next day off. Perfect. That meant that nobody would think to question her absence for at least a day, longer if she was lucky, and all she could hope was that it was enough of a head start to foil anyone who might be sent to retrieve her.

When she made it to her room, step two of the plan began. She’d already begun packing all the supplies she needed for the journey, including a backpack full of water and non-perishable food, as well as a brand new set of shinobi tools she’d spent her past two weeks savings on. She had shuriken, she had kunai, she had summoning scrolls with traveling equipment, and in the spot of honor at her hip, she had the scroll that had started it all. From there, she had two things to leave behind in her room.

A shinobi was a master of misdirection. That was one of the first lessons she’d learned as a student, and her plan for misdirection was so simple that it couldn’t help but bring a smile to her face. Once again she benefitted from being predictable and consistently underestimated.

On her desk, she left her Konoha headband. For dramatic effect, she took one of her kunai to the metal plate, making a long slash across the leaf symbol. Sasuke’s headband had come back with a similar marking, so it would help reinforce the second thing she was leaving behind: a short letter detailing her desire to be with Sasuke, and the statement that she was leaving Konoha to go join Sasuke and Orochimaru. She signed the letter with a flourish and left it next to the headband. Her definitive statement on leaving the village. She felt the pit in her stomach that she had been ignoring grow larger as the weight of this sunk in.

She was really doing this. She was leaving her home on a quest for knowledge. She might never be accepted back. She might not even _find_ anything that could help Naruto.

But damn it all, she had to try.

 

 

It was still daytime, but thankfully all she really had to do at first was avoid her team. Nobody else had heard the news that she’d been sent home with a stomachache, and everyone else who knew her would just be assuming she was getting ready to go off on a longer mission. Since she knew that her team would be taking a patrol mission, this made things difficult. They would be on the outskirts of the village, and she had no way of knowing exactly where unless she stumbled into them. However, this did mean that until she reached the outskirts, she had little risk of being uncovered.

More practice at misdirection, she decided. Her initial goal was to appear as casual as possible as she made her way to her predesignated ‘digging’ point. Since the guards wouldn’t be looking for anyone approaching the wall from the inside, she had a small advantage. As long as she stayed within the cover of trees and far enough away from patrols, she had no doubt she could create her tunnel without being noticed. The problem was someone catching sight of her on the other side. She would have to go through her tunnel slowly, preserving energy, so that if she _was_ discovered, she’d have the energy to make a break for it.

It was perhaps because her thoughts were occupied on these possibilities that Sakura didn’t notice Kakashi until she quite literally bumped into him.

It would have been startling even if she _wasn’t_ planning on leaving the village. Kakashi had been sent on missions near constantly since the breakup of Team Seven, which was part of the reason Sakura had been doing missions on her own before her reassignment. That he was in the village at all was some sort of unlucky ‘miracle’, and of course since she’d been stupid enough to bump into him, that meant they had to talk. Catch up.

“Sakura!” Kakashi’s eyes indicated a smile, and Sakura could feel her heart breaking a little bit. Damn it all, she hadn’t even considered how Kakashi would react to her leaving too. But she mustn’t dwell on it, she mustn’t.

“Hey there, Kakashi-sensei!” She allowed herself to slip into a happy tone, doing her best not to appear suspicious. “Sorry to rush, but…” Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. Information gathering, that was what she was leaving to do. So she needed to get good at it. “But I’m trying to catch up with my new team. I wasn’t feeling so well earlier, so they left on patrol without me, but now I’m feeling better. You haven’t happened to see what direction they went, have you?”

“I think I might have seen them by the gate when I came in. By now, they’re probably on the east side of the village.” Kakashi looked thoughtful, but still beamed at her as they spoke. “I must say, when Tsunade told me you’d been reassigned, I didn’t think you’d take it this well.”

“Well, someone has to be the grown up of Team Seven, right sensei?”

“Ouch, Sakura. I might almost think you’re implying I’m not the grown up.”

“Maybe if you had ever been on time, I might be thinking differently!” Sakura couldn’t help but feel a bit more light-hearted at the banter. It was so…familiar. Like things hadn’t changed. Like things weren’t about to change.

She paused, her stomach sinking slightly again, and this time Kakashi noticed. He looked away, off towards the direction of the gate. Thinking about Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura deduced. How could he not be? Kakashi had been a part of Team Seven too. Did he blame himself for what had happened?

“Sakura…”

“Don’t worry, Kakashi-sensei.” Sakura found herself speaking without thinking. “I’m going to get stronger. For both of them. When Naruto gets back, we’re going to be good enough to take down Orochimaru and anyone else who gets in our way.” Kakashi looked back at her, slightly surprised at the outburst. Even she wasn’t quite sure why she was saying it. Maybe it was something he needed to hear. “Until then, you keep getting stronger too, Kakashi-sensei. Team Seven is always going to need a leader.”

Silence. Then, another smile from Kakashi. He reached out suddenly, putting a gentle hand on her head.

“Don’t give up.”

There was a strangeness in Kakashi’s words, a sort of hidden reverence that Sakura didn’t understand. When she looked in her sensei’s eyes, it was almost like they weren’t even his words at all, but someone else’s being echoed.

Before she could process the words further, Kakashi was walking away, giving her a small wave as he left. Sakura put a hand to her head. Don’t give up…well, of course she wasn’t going to give up! That was the whole damn point of her leaving!

But, even though it wasn’t direct, this was almost like getting Kakashi’s blessing on the matter. He hadn’t shot her down. He hadn’t said there was no way in hell she’d ever be strong enough. Simply…don’t give up. She could get stronger. She could defeat Orochimaru. She could save Sasuke.

Sakura reached her digging spot without any more interruptions. Her team was on the east side of the gate, if Kakashi was correct, and she was aiming for the southwest side. No risk of them spotting her and questioning, and if another shinobi spotted her, she could potentially argue her way out of trouble, like she had with Kakashi. She was just looking for her team, after all, that was why she was packed and running around the outskirts of the city. She’d worried about needing to run for nothing.

With a deep breath, she focused her chakra outwards. There were two shinobi on the wall nearby that she would have to avoid, and that was about as thin a number as she was going to find. Now was the time.

A few hand signs later and she was crawling through her tunnel to the other side of Konoha’s walls. By the time she reached the other side, there were still only the two shinobi in her radius. Sakura peeked out of the tunnel, looking around carefully before catching sight of the wall nearby. Through the denseness of the surrounding forest, it was hard to pick out the shinobi guarding the walls. Just as hard, she hoped, to pick out herself in the trees. She took another deep breath before pulling herself out of the hole, then quickly began to fill it behind her. When she looked up at the guard shinobi again, they hadn’t moved. Perfect.

She quietly pulled out the small map she’d bought. If she continued to head southwest, she wouldn’t need to look at the map for a while. It would be easier to navigate once nightfall hit, and she fully intended to switch her schedule once she was far enough outside the city limits. For now…just southwest. She kept slow and close to trees at first, waiting until she could no longer see the walls of the village before breaking into a manageable sprint. After about a month of training with Lee, she was already faster, and less winded. She’d be able to run for a long time before needing rest, which was good. She needed to cover ground to get a head start from anyone hunting her…and it was a long way to her destination. Three days, if she ran with minimal rest.

There was only one place that she knew she’d be able to get information about the Tailed Beasts for certain, and that was because Sakura knew that one lived there. She hoped that his connection to Naruto would be enough to at least grant an audience, and she could move on from there.

For now…running. Running until she reached the Village Hidden in the Sand.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been days since Sakura had slept.

Initially her insomnia had started out of paranoia. After hours of running, she’d finally found herself a lush tree to spend the night in, but every single noise in the night had served to put her on edge. Maybe the branch cracking in the distance had been some nocturnal creature on the prowl, but what if it was a shinobi sent to hunt her down? What if the occasional chirping she heard from nearby crickets was actually some sort of Anbu signaling technique, letting others know that she’d been found? Even when she did feel her eyes starting to shut, they were quickly opened again by whatever strange sound the forest decided to throw at her next. She spent her first night on the run awake and with a kunai clutched in her hand.

When morning hit, she had no choice but to push herself to move forward. The closer she was to the village, the more likely she was to get caught. She’d given herself a head start, but there were certainly shinobi who would hunt without rest. She figured she still had _some_ time; they’d most likely look in the direction of the Sound Country first, but if someone figured out the ruse, it was only a matter of time before someone with enough speed could catch up to her. She had to keep moving.

The next night she reached the edge of the forest boundary, and only wasted a couple of hours trying to sleep before realizing it was futile. Plus, the desert would be easier to navigate under the veil of night, without the hot sun beating down on her. She would travel through the night, she decided, and then find somewhere to try and sleep once daylight hit.

It was a decent enough plan in her mind, but Sakura ran into a second problem. She was nowhere near as good at navigating a desert as she thought she’d be.

When she _could_ see the stars, navigating was easy. But the desert in Wind Country was…well, full of wind. Clouds too, those were what were holding her back the most. She couldn’t navigate if she couldn’t see, and she definitely could barely even keep a running pace with the wind whipping up sand into her eyes. Sakura knew there was a main road that could be followed to the Sand Village, maybe even side ones that merchants took to avoid major traffic, but that would be just what someone hunting her would expect, wouldn’t it? If she took a road, she might be spotted by others, and even if they weren’t Leaf Shinobi, they’d remember her, and that was just one more clue for someone else to find her. No, she couldn’t take a road. She had to persevere through the desert, and that meant persevering through wind and cloud and whatever else the desert decided to throw at her. She supposed she should have been grateful that there were wind and clouds; it kept the heat off her, even if the wind seemed to cut at her skin like daggers.

A true shinobi must never show any weakness. A true shinobi must put the mission first. If she couldn’t conquer a desert, how could she possibly hope to keep up with Sasuke and Naruto?

Her one consolation was that if she was having this much trouble navigating, anyone looking for her would have that much trouble finding her. The wind ensured she left behind no footprints in the sand, and she doubted anyone could sense her chakra this deep into the desert. (She certainly couldn’t sense anything, though whether that was due to fatigue or genuine absence of nearby shinobi was debatable.)

It was Sakura’s fourth night when she realized precisely why lack of sleep was such a burden. She’d used her Tunneling jutsu to create a cave to shelter herself through the day, but she had to constantly remove sand that built up at the entrance. Every use of her technique to clear the hole was getting harder and harder. What was worse, she wondered? Being buried alive in the desert or dying to the sun and the sands above? Even during the chuunin exams she had never felt so exhausted.

Seconds seemed to take hours to pass. Sakura’s breathing echoed in her mind until it didn’t feel like her own. Every movement that her eyes caught made her twitch. Was it more sand coming in? An enemy shinobi?

…Sasuke? Naruto?

 

Anyone?

 

Day five, and Sakura was no longer certain which direction she was walking. The stars all looked the same, no matter how long she compared them to her map. She was fairly certain one of these constellations pointed the right way to…where was she going again? It was hard to focus…the Sand Village, that was where. She needed to get to the Sand…no, she was already at sand, there was sand everywhere. Village, she had to get to the village…

She felt something rest against the back of her neck, and she froze. Another hallucination? No…an enemy.

“Don’t move.” A voice rang out from behind her. “What are you doing out here?”

What was she doing? Sakura struggled to form words. Her vision was blurring, or was that just the wind? “Village.” She managed to croak out. “I have to get to the village.”

“Wait a minute, I think I recognize her...”

Sakura felt her heart freeze in her chest. Recognize? Were these Leaf shinobi? Her hand went to her hip, pulling out a kunai. “Don’t.” She turned, attempting to raise her blade. “Don’t try to…” Her foot slipped, and she felt herself begin to fall backwards. Everything was blurred as she fell, and her grip on her kunai loosened. No, not yet, she couldn’t allow herself to pass out yet. She couldn’t let herself be brought back to Konoha.

Not yet…not yet…

 

Sakura’s eyes flew open, and her hands went for another weapon. She found nothing at her hip except for a mess of blankets around her. She was on…a bed? She blinked once, twice, looking at her surroundings. Her pouches and scrolls had been laid on a table nearby, though her weapons were notably absent. The room wasn’t familiar, definitely not any room she’d ever seen in Konoha before. She could hear the moans of wind outside, and the only light was that of a small candle that had been lit on the table. Not at Konoha, no, but where was she, then?

Her stomach growled, causing her to focus. She must have gotten some sort of rest, and whomever had approached her in the desert had been kind enough to find her a bed. So…not an enemy, and since she wasn’t in Konoha, likely not a Leaf shinobi either. Still, she was hungry, and she needed answered. She forced herself to stand up from the bed and make her way to her pouches. She still had water at the very least, and probably some leftover jerky…

As she rummaged through her first pouch, the door to the room opened, and her questions were answered. A young woman with her blonde hair up in ponytails opened the door, a large fan slung across her back. Sakura recognized her almost immediately; this was one of the Sand shinobi that had caused them so much trouble during the chuunin exams. (And had come to the aid of her friends when they’d gone after…)

“I thought I heard something. Looks like the Konoha brat is finally up.” There was a sort of condescending smirk on the woman’s face. (Temari, had that been her name?) “I knew the Leaf had some dumb kids but I never thought they’d have someone stupid enough to try and walk through a sandstorm. You’re lucky to be alive.”

Well…it wasn’t like she was wrong, but Sakura couldn’t help but inwardly cringe at the bluntness of Temari’s words. “So…the desert isn’t normally like that?”

“You definitely caught it on a bad day. Now, what was so important that you came all the way out here on your own? Does Konoha have another crisis?”

“No.” Sakura shook her head, turning to start clipping her pouches back on. “I needed to get here to meet with Gaara, and I’m sort of on a time limit. I’m sorry to intrude but it’s urgent that I speak with him.”

“Urgent?” Temari looked her up and down, and Sakura couldn’t help but look away. It was like the kunoichi was seeing right through her. “So Konoha’s not in crisis but seeing Gaara is ‘urgent’. I’m going to need more to go on than that. I know we’re allied with the Leaf, but we found you alone in the middle of our territory looking half dead. That’s suspicious as hell no matter how you look at it.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Sakura continued to look down, shuffling her feet. “I promise, I’m just here for information. You can keep my kunai if you’re suspicious. Once I’ve talked with Gaara, I’ll be leaving.” That was the current plan, anyway. If Suna found out that she was now technically a missing nin, well, she wasn’t sure what they’d do, but turning her in was a distinct possibility. The less time she spent here, the better. She looked up again to see Temari still examining her, but the condescension was gone, instead replaced by a look of curiosity, and then sympathy.

“Alright, Leaf brat. You look starved. We’ll eat, and you’ll tell me what you need. Then we’ll decide what to do with you.”

Sakura got the feeling she had no other choice. At the very least, there’d be food.

The inside of the building was bland, tan stone that winded around in what appeared to be endless hallways, and yet, there were very few people that passed her by as she followed Temari. If this really was the Sand Village, it was incredibly sparse.

Well…they were still recovering from a small war. How many Sand shinobi had died trying to invade Konoha? Sakura didn’t want to consider it. How could their villages be allies, after all this? Was it possible that the Sand held no resentment towards the Leaf? Even if it had been orchestrated by Orochimaru, Orochimaru had been Leaf himself, once. And yet, she’d been brought her and given a bed. And they had come to help get Sasuke, back when they’d needed aid.

It was complicated. But Sakura wasn’t going to let herself complain about the help, nor the peace that had somehow been achieved. Maybe it was some sort of miracle, but it was the good kind, for now.

Her thoughts shifted gears as she tried Suna food for the first time. Different spices were more common out here in the desert, and the food was spicy enough to make her mouth burn. Sakura tried not to show it. Temari already thought her a weak idiot, no doubt, and shinobi couldn’t afford to show weakness. She swallowed down the food and did her best to hold back tears of pain.

“So, Gaara, huh?” Temari spoke as Sakura ate. “Not sure what you want with him after all he put you through. He’s out on patrol currently but he’ll probably be back in a couple of days.”

“A couple days?” Sakura groaned. “That’s not nearly quick. Maybe you can direct me so I can go meet him?”

“Yeah, because you going out alone in the desert worked out so well last time.” Temari laughed. “I know you’re in a hurry, but you’d be better off waiting here. The sandstorm should clear up by the end of the week, anyway. You can meet with Gaara and be on your way without losing the road again.”

“Right. Losing the road.” That was a good enough excuse, Sakura figured. She didn’t like having to wait around, but if that was what it took, that was what it took. “Well, this my first time here. I don’t want to be a burden on you, so if you direct me to an inn, I can stay there until- “

“Sure, but you still need to answer my questions. What’s so urgent that you need Gaara for?”

Sakura frowned. She’d wanted to keep things mostly to herself but…this was necessary too. “I’m researching the Tailed Beasts.” She started. “There’s an organization called Akatsuki that is hunting them down, made up entirely of S-ranked missing nin. They’ve already come after my teammate once, and they took down four jounin in the process. It’s only a matter of time before they come after Gaara too.”

Temari’s eyes widened at this. “What? How long have you known about this?”

“Not long.” Sakura admitted. “It was right before the incident with…you know, when you came to help us out. I’m trying to find out more about them to help protect my teammate, but to do that I need to know more about the Tailed Beasts and why they want them. Plus, Naruto, he…well, if he understood what’s inside him better, maybe he could control it better. And that goes for Gaara as well. I think we can help each other. No, we _have_ to help each other. If an organization like Akatsuki gets ahold of the power of those monsters, I don’t even want to think about what might happen.”

Temari was silent after this, and Sakura took the chance to finish her meal. It was probably heavy to hear, but it _was_ true. There was a lot more on the line here than just Naruto. Gaara and all of the others who had Tailed Beasts inside them were in danger. She hadn’t even considered it before now, but if Konoha was the only village that knew about Akatsuki, then that was a huge danger itself. Akatsuki could have been going after other Jinchuuriki this whole time, maybe even succeeding. If they got even just one of the Beasts…

“I’ll have to bring this up with our council.” Temari finally spoke. “This sort of information changes things. If what you say is true, the Leaf will have our gratitude for the warning.”

Temari still thought she was working for Konoha. Well, she supposed that would work for now. They certainly wouldn’t be reporting her to Konoha if they thought she was here on official business. Sakura didn’t bother correcting her.

“Well, thank you for the food.” Sakura bowed her head in gratitude. “If there’s anything else you want to know, I’ll tell you. I’m really just here to talk with Gaara, and I can tell you all I know about Akatsuki if you want. I don’t know much, but it seems like it’s more than you currently have.”

With that, for the first time, Temari smiled. She stood up, gesturing for Sakura to follow. “Come on, let’s find you a room, Leaf brat. If you’re going to be so forthcoming, it’s the least I can do. You can tell me about Akatsuki on the way.”

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. For now, she was safe. Whether she was destined to be caught and taken back to Konoha, or if she could continue her reconnaissance uninterrupted, either way, all she could do right now was wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone’s chakra had a nature and a signature.

This was beginner stuff. Sakura had learned the concept in school, but they hadn’t bothered to go much further than concept, as it was expected that one’s jounin instructor would help their genin learn their nature, and signatures were only really important for sensing shinobi. Sakura had never seen herself as a sensing type. Kakashi had mentioned on occasion that she tended towards genjutsu, something that had never panned out due to Kakashi’s focus on Sasuke, but if the tendency was there, it was definitely something to explore down the line. But she didn’t  _ have _ a genjutsu scroll, she had a sensing scroll, and that was just how the cards had fallen.

That didn’t mean there weren’t some interesting cards in the deck. The next jutsu written out on the scroll was a more specific type of sensing, meant to, over time, be combined with the first so that a shinobi could not only sense how many shinobi were in an area and where, but also what  _ type _ of shinobi they were, and where a specific one was if they knew the signature. (This combination jutsu was referred to as an A-rank technique, and Sakura wasn’t stupid enough to think she was going to master that in a day, but it would serve adequately as a ‘future goal’ to strive for.) If she really was a genjutsu type, being able to determine how many shinobi she needed to affect, as well as the best way to affect them, well…that would certainly make things a lot easier on her. Even just ‘knowing her enemy’ was a desirable enough skill.

There was a problem, though, because of course there was. She could use the jutsu easily enough on a first try, and could easily tell that there were differences in nature between every shinobi in her range. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that she had no idea  _ which _ natures she was looking at. Without a teacher to tell her that a certain person tended towards ‘earth’ or ‘wind’ or whichever, all that Sakura could deduce from the jutsu was that people were different from each other, which was entirely useless information. She could (probably correctly) assume that Temari was ‘wind’ based and go from there, but that was still just an assumption, and she didn’t want to put her life on the line going off of an assumption. If she’d been in Konoha she could have just asked each shinobi what they tended towards, but here in Suna? They had an alliance, sure, but going around questioning individual shinobi about their chakra would definitely be seen as suspicious. Gathering information to be used in the future, perhaps.

Equally frustrating was the realization that she couldn’t use the jutsu to sense her own chakra. She’d always been curious as to which was she tended, but chakra paper was expensive, and there was no way she could afford it now without income. So, Sakura was left mastering an ability that was absolutely useless to her without some sort of teacher. 

This led to an afternoon of moping for Sakura, which she allowed herself. (She’d braved the Suna desert for days, after all, so she deserved a mope break.) Naruto had gone off with Jiraiya, and Sasuke was (unfortunately) training under Orochimaru. Logically, she probably should have gone to Tsunade for aid, maybe even asked to be her apprentice, but how could she take the tutelage of someone who knew so much yet refused to act on it? Tsunade was content enough to play things safe. In a way, Sakura got it. In a world of unknown enemies, it was logical to play things safe, keep withdrawn, ensure they didn’t provoke their enemy’s ire before they were prepared for it. 

But the problem was that Tsunade didn’t even seem to be  _ preparing _ . Sakura had gotten more done and learned more in the past month than in the entirety of her career as a shinobi. Following the rules, staying back, keeping safe...time had proven that shit just didn’t get  _ done _ that way. She hadn’t survived the chuunin exams by holding back. 

And...well, she couldn't hold back now, could she? Maybe she didn’t know what all of these damn chakras correlated with, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t practice. One day she would know, and by then she’d be so damn good at this jutsu that she could tell chakras apart in her  _ sleep. _

So Sakura made her hand signs and concentrated once more, and once more her senses were overwhelmed with information. There were shinobi everywhere, so many that auras seemed to blend together. It was difficult narrowing down single shinobi. Sakura had begun to gain a newfound respect for official sensing shinobi; it was difficult to concentrate without getting much of a headache. 

To the north there were...three shinobi, yes, it had to be three. One of them had a nature that Sakura had dubbed in her mind to be a ‘riling’ energy, something that seemed to swell up within her and push her to action. It was the most distinct of the natures, and the majority of the shinobi here seemed to have that nature. The other two, however, had a nature that felt better to Sakura: it was calming, putting her at ease and making her feel safe. She had a small inkling that whatever this nature was, it was probably  _ her _ nature too, and maybe if she watched these shinobi long enough she could get some sort of inkling as to-

All at once, her senses were engulfed by a single chakra. Behind her, directly behind her, an energy seemed to slam into her, and all that Sakura could process was Death, Death and Blood and Pain and everything that terrified her, an chakra that seemed to make every cell in her body scream in fear. Her hand flew to one of her kunai, drawing it as she turned to defend herself, but how could she defend herself against…

Gaara?

The last time she’d seen Gaara, he’d been with his team, dropping off her friends who’d been battered and broken at the hands of Orochimaru’s underlings. It had only been brief, then, but even without sensing the shinobi’s chakra, Sakura had still been terrified of him. And why not? Before that, Gaara had gone all out trying to kill her and her teammates. She couldn’t help but vividly remember how his chakra had transformed him into something half man, half monster. That was Shukaku inside him that she now sensed, Sakura realized, this baffling power was that of a Tailed Beast. 

And this time, thank goodness, Gaara was not trying to kill her. This was his passive energy. This is what others in this village had felt from him for years. Knowing this now, Sakura couldn’t help but understand why shinobi feared the Jinchuuriki so much. If this was when Gaara was calm, how terrible must his chakra feel when he was enraged, ready to kill?

She forced herself to take a deep breath, and she put her kunai away. “Son of a bitch.” She grumbled. “You could afford to give a girl some warning before sneaking up on her while she’s concentrating.”

Gaara kept the same stoic look that was typical for him. His voice was the peak of apathetic as he spoke. “I was told you wished to speak with me.”

“Next time, you could start with ‘hello’.” Sakura answered, pushing herself to her feet. Her heart was still pounding in her chest like a hammer, and a very large part of her wanted to keep the kunai out, just in case. Gaara seemed to get a curious look on his face at her comment, one that portrayed an emotion Sakura couldn’t quite identify. (Maybe it was the lack of eyebrows.) Eventually, Gaara spoke again.

“Hello.”

Sakura blinked. Was he...was he trying to be funny? With that deadpan look it was impossible to tell, but if he was at least attempting some sort of humor, well, she could work with that. She needed to humanize Gaara in her mind if she was ever going to understand Jinchuuriki, ever fully understand Naruto.

“Hello.” She answered in return. “I don’t know if you remember me from that time you tried to kill me, but I’m Naruto’s teammate, Sakura, and I’m here to learn about Tailed Beasts.” 

“Alright. What do you want to know?”

It was that easy? Sakura wondered if he’d gotten permission from his superiors to discuss Shukaku, or if Gaara was just that willing to talk. Either way, she’d been expecting some sort of disclaimer, or a limitation on what she’d be allowed to know. And maybe there still was.

“Well, we could find a place to sit down, first.” Sakura suggested. “Maybe we could get dinner.” She had picked a somewhat secluded area to practice her chakra sensing, in the hope that she wouldn’t be bothered. (Nice pick, she thought to herself, what with Gaara so easily sneaking up on her). Gaara seemed to think on this before turning and beginning to walk away.

“Dinner, then.”

Sakura, of course, had no choice but to follow.

 

-

 

It was admittedly odd to see Gaara so at ease, or at least as ease as she ever expected to see him. Supposedly shinobi like Kakashi had similarly fearsome reputations, but she had never thought twice about such things when she considered the at ease, constantly tardy, playful personality that Kakashi had always showed to them. Gaara too had a relaxed side. Gaara too had a place he preferred to eat, or else he’d had enough sensitivity in him to pick a place he’d thought  _ she’d _ like. (Though Sakura was more likely to believe the former.) Did Gaara have hobbies? Books he liked to read, things he liked to do? She couldn’t see him being a prankster like Naruto, not in a million years, but surely there were some things? All at once, Sakura found herself wanting to know more about Gaara than Shukaku.

But Sakura kept her thoughts to herself, enjoying the unique curry that had been brought to her. Suna food was certainly a different experience, but one she was quickly learning to enjoy. Still, she went through three glasses of water before her meal was done, while Gaara hadn’t even once seemed to show any sign of discomfort. 

“So...Shukaku.” Sakura began, not sure where else would be a good start. “Did Temari bring you up to speed about Akatsuki?”

“She informed me that an organization might seek to take Shukaku’s power from me.” Gaara replied. Alright. Up to speed enough, Sakura supposed.

“Well, they’ve already attempted to abduct Naruto in the past, and they almost got away with it too. If they’re strong enough to infiltrate a village and take out three jounin, I don’t even want to think about what they’ll be like with a Beast inside them. You’re scary enough.” Sakura hesitated. “Er, well...I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re pretty scary.”

Gaara simply nodded at this, but said nothing else. The awkward silences were quickly becoming the scariest part of the conversation. 

“So, well, I don’t want Naruto to get abducted. I’m looking into Akatsuki to try and better prepare us for future attacks, but I feel like in order to understand Akatsuki, I need to learn more about the Tailed Beasts. Since you’re the only other Jinchuuriki I directly know, I figured I’d come here first. I don’t know how much you can tell me, but…” Sakura pulled out a small scroll from her pack. Notes, she’d need to take down notes in case there was anything important. “Well, how about I ask and you can tell me what you’re able to?” Silence greeted her again, but since he was protesting, Sakura took it as an affirmation. “Maybe, well...have you ever communicated with Shukaku?”

This seemed to elicit a response out of Gaara. For a brief moment, did he look nervous? Nervous, maybe even uneasy. “Never on purpose.” He finally admitted. “But communication is possible.”

“It is?” Sakura couldn’t help but feel excited at the news. Did that mean Naruto could communicate with the Kyuubi inside of him? Or maybe he’d already done it and she hadn’t known? “How does it work? Some sort of telepathy?”

“Yes. His voice enters my thoughts when he wills it. Though not as much recently.” Gaara’s nervousness was still apparent. A touchy subject? “I don’t know why you would want to communicate with them.”

“Well, my hope was that it could help Naruto out. If he can control the Kyuubi, maybe it will make it harder for Akatsuki to make off with him.” Sakura shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess the problem is I don’t really know a lot about how Jinchuurikis work. Nobody really seems to. I went through all my village had on them and the best I got was that they were pretty good weapons, but that’s not how I want to see Naruto. That’s...not how anyone should be seeing  _ any _ of the Jinchuuriki.”

“Like it or not, that is why we exist. We exist to be weapons. We exist to kill for our village.” Gaara retorted. “And we exist as a prison. Should Shukaku be allowed to rampage, he would not stop until he had ensured humanity’s destruction. Shukaku does not care for anything but death.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that.” Sakura winced, memories of Gaara’s transformation still vivid in her mind. “But haven’t you ever been curious as to why?”

This thought was enough to keep Gaara silent for a while. Sakura as well. She allowed herself to mull over her words. The Kyuubi had attacked their village upon its freedom, yes, and someone had clearly freed it for that purpose, but was the Kyuubi really an unfeeling force of destruction? If Shukaku had enough sapience to hold some sort of conversation with Gaara, to hold desires, even destructive ones, then it was intelligent enough to have reasons why.

“I’d never had reason to ask.” Gaara finally admitted. “Some things are just assumed.”

“Then how would you feel about trying to ask? I think it could be helpful either way, and if you’re successful than certainly Naruto would be able to-”

“No.” Gaara spoke. “I will not speak with him. It is too risky. Allowing him words gives him opportunity to work his influence over me, and I will not allow that again.”

It was the most assertive she’d ever seen him. On this, Gaara did not seem as though he could be swayed. Ah, well, it had been worth a try. Just the knowledge that it was possible was enough. “Okay.” Sakura took down her notes. “Okay, no talking with Shukaku. Now, I know I probably won’t get any answers for these next questions, but it’s worth a try. Is there anything that’s effective in controlling Shukaku? Certain types of jutsu, certain states of mind, anything I can pass along to Naruto so he has a better chance with the Kyuubi?”

It took even longer for Gaara to answer this time, but when he did, Sakura could have sworn she heard some sort of emotion in his voice. “Acceptance.” Gaara explained. “Acceptance and...companionship. As long as you are there for him, Naruto will not falter to the Kyuubi’s influence.” 

Acceptance...something, Sakura wondered, if Gaara had ever experienced. Even just walking here with him to dinner, she had seen the cold looks and frightened eyes that had turned Gaara’s way. Something Naruto had supposedly dealt with in his youth. Naruto had friends now, companions to help shoulder the burden, and Gaara? Gaara didn’t seem to have anyone. 

Had that been melancholy in his voice, then?

“You know, I don’t blame you for trying to kill me.” Sakura found herself speaking without thinking. “I mean, it was terrifying facing you, but it was just what you’d been ordered to do. And you helped out when Sasuke left, so...so I can’t hold anything against you, just for that. Sasuke is my friend and I-” Well, maybe talking about her love for Sasuke was a bit heavy handed. “I’m just grateful that so many came for him where I failed. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t care what happened in the past. You tried to help Naruto and Sasuke, so you’re my friend now, got it?”

Gaara didn’t have anything to say to that. But Sakura could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on the shinobi’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I want to give a thank you to all those who have left kudos and encouraging comments. Your support is giving me the courage to keep writing, and I hope to continue this idea to the bitter end!))


	7. Chapter 7

“What are you doing?”

Sakura found herself caught off guard once again by Gaara’s sudden appearance, though this time at least she had the presence of mind  _ not _ to draw her kunai on an ally. She needed to learn that skill, she decided, that ‘sneaking up on people’ skill that Gaara seemed to just naturally fall into. It clearly wasn’t a Jinchuuriki thing. (Naruto had the subtlety of a raging bull). This meant it could be cultivated. She would learn this skill…once she was done with the twelve others on her list.

“I’m training.” She finally answered. She was in the middle of an early morning session, following Rock Lee’s tried and true ‘kick, punch, and run until you couldn’t anymore’. She still couldn’t make it to a hundred kicks in a row without giving up, but that just meant she’d throw a hundred punches and run a hundred kilometers and so on until she was strong enough.

“You’re training on an air conditioner.” Gaara commented. Ah, so that was what this tall machine was.

“Well, there aren’t any trees and I doubt any shinobi here would want to spar with me.” Sakura let out a deep breath as she went for kick number sixty-two. “I’m sure I’ll get a lecture about not training with a potential enemy, and I doubt anyone will let me use their training grounds, so I found my own. There’s not much else I can do with my time until that damn storm outside lets up.” She paused, breathing again before looking around. “I will say, this natural cliff around the village really does a good job keeping all that sand out. It’s really only bad higher up.”

Gaara was quiet at this. It had probably been an obvious thing to point out; of  _ course _ a Sand village would pick somewhere naturally protected from the harshness of the desert around them. It was just amazing how well of a job it did. Sakura wouldn’t have been surprised if there were jutsu in place on top of the cliffs to help mitigate the damages sandstorms would bring.

Gaara’s silence prompted Sakura to continue her training. He’d probably been sent up to make sure she wasn’t doing anything suspicious. (And kicking an air conditioner was admittedly suspicious, yes.) But unless the owner came and yelled at her for it, she doubted it was illegal.

“Was that all the questioning you had about Shukaku?”

Kick eighty-one and Gaara still hadn’t left. Maybe he’d been sent to keep a permanent eye on her? “No, I don’t have anything else on Shukaku, unless you’re willing to reconsider attempting a conversation with it. But you seemed pretty against the idea so…” Sakura stopped her kicking. Eighty-six and her leg just didn’t want to lift anymore. Now for the other side.

“So you’re training.” Gaara concluded.

“Yup.”

“By kicking an air conditioner.”

“Every kick makes me stronger. Just ask Rock Lee, he kicked the hell out of you in the chunin exams.” Three kicks with the left leg, then four, five, six…

It was quiet for longer this time, and Sakura was beginning to get a bit embarrassed by the attention. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand why Suna was keeping an eye on her, but did Gaara even blink? He was like a statue watching her train, but in a weird way it was almost helpful. She didn’t want to appear weak in front of him, which ensured she kicked harder and faster than she was used to. 

Damn, she’d be sore tomorrow, but Lee would probably approve.

She heard a small thump from behind her, and she stopped her kicks just long enough to see that Gaara had deposited his gourd onto the ground. Then, to her shock, Gaara came to a position next to her in front of the air conditioner.

“Every kick makes you stronger?”

“Um...yeah.” Sakura blinked as she watched Gaara slowly begin to start kicking at the machine. Every time the kick landed, she saw a couple grains of sand fall to the ground before slowly returning to Gaara’s body. That sand armor...he always kept it on, right? But more importantly was Gaara...training?

He was slow. A  _ lot _ slower than her, she realized, and it made sense. With sand doing everything for him, when would he ever have need for taijutsu? When would he ever have need for speed at all? Plus, that sand armor was probably a fairly large weight hindrance, even if by now he was mostly used to it. 

It was weird. By now she figured Gaara would have been sent on another mission, or maybe training with his own team. Certainly not with her. Certainly not at all. 

But the company wasn’t unwanted.

“Do a hundred kicks with one leg.” She instructed, continuing her own set. “If you can’t do a hundred kicks, do a hundred with the other leg. If you can’t do the other leg, switch to punches. And if you can’t make the punches, do a hundred laps around the village.” 

Gaara paused to look at her, bafflement clear on his face. “...everyone in Konoha trains like this?”

“Only the crazy ones.” Sakura admitted. “I just started this recently. I can’t make it to a hundred yet on anything, but when I started I could only get to about fifty before I got tired. Today my first set got to eighty-six.”

Gaara nodded and went back to work. Ever the quiet one.

Seventy-nine more kicks and two more sets of punches later, Sakura began to jog. Gaara followed her, easily keeping up. As they went, Sakura couldn’t help but notice how time and time again faces would turn in their direction, in  _ Gaara’s _ direction, unease and fear emanating from even the children who probably didn’t even understand what Gaara  _ was _ . This was what it was to be a Jinchuuriki, and even by proxy, Sakura was starting to understand how disheartening such negative attention could be. 

Several more days passed as she waited for the sandstorm to subside. Her pocketbook thankfully didn’t run low, not with Gaara tailing her like a lost puppy. As the Kage’s son, food seemed to be free wherever he deemed it, and with her in his proximity, she was able to mooch off quite a few meals. For the most part, Gaara said little. He trained with her and sat watch over her while she practiced her sensing. After a while of him being near, she could almost tune out the fear that Shukaku’s aura of death brought about.

“Does he ever say anything to you?” Temari asked her once, in a whisper low enough that she figured Gaara couldn’t hear.

“Not really.” Sakura shrugged. “He talked to me about Shukaku when I asked but other than that he just follows me around.”

“He’s stopped going on missions.” Temari let slip. “He doesn’t even bother checking in anymore, but after…” She hesitated, taking a breath. “Well, we haven’t elected a Kage yet, so there’s nobody with enough motivation to look after him. As long as he isn’t killing anyone.”

“He’s not.” Sakura insisted. “He just sits around and watches me all day. I’d thought he’d been ordered to.”

“Well, I feel better if you’re keeping an eye on him. At least if he decides to kill you, it’s not one of us.” Temari chuckled, and Sakura forced a laugh in return. She had been worried at first but...not so much now. If Gaara had wanted to kill her, he’d have had plenty of opportunity. She was more unnerved by how casually Temari treated Gaara’s bloodlust, like it was inevitable. Like there was nothing that could be done. She was his sister...if she’d reached out to Gaara, shown him affection, how different would things have been?

It was on the evening of her fourth day in Sunagakure that Gaara spoke to her at length once again, surprising her by initiating. She’d found a quiet spot in the village to start reading her scroll for something new, and he’d followed, as usual, before speaking up.

“Where’s Naruto at, now?”

“Naruto?” Sakura pulled herself from her reading. “Well, he’s out training with a strong shinobi from our village, but he’s being kept on the move to avoid Akatsuki finding him. Otherwise he’d probably be here with me.” 

“Training.” Gaara confirmed. “He wants to be Hokage, doesn’t he?”

“That’s his plan.” Not that he ever stopped announcing it to anyone. 

“I’d thought about trying to become Kazekage.”

There was a long silence after the announcement. Sakura couldn’t help but watch Gaara. He was getting easier to read now, she realized. He didn’t show much emotion, but it was there, if you knew where to look. Right now he was pensive, but some of the melancholy from their first conversation was peppered in.

“Why don’t you then?” Sakura asked. “They need a Kage right now, and you’re certainly strong enough. Plus, Kage get tons of bodyguards, that’d be perfect if Akatsuki ever tried to come after you.”

“They won’t ever let me become a Kage. I’m too unstable.” Gaara explained. “Even if I trained, even if I restrained myself for the rest of my life, they won’t ever trust me. I’m not like Naruto.”

“Not with that attitude, you aren’t.” Sakura huffed. “Naruto’s never been trusted either, but he’ll never stop trying. That’s how come he  _ will _ become Hokage. And that’s how come he’ll get strong enough to beat Akatsuki and bring Sasuke back.”

“Naruto will. But...you don’t want to become Hokage?”

“Of course not, I know I can’t beat Naruto.”

“But you could.” Gaara argued. It was the most verbose he’d ever been, and discounting the chunin exams, the most emotional she’d ever seen him. “You could train every day like he does and get stronger. Your village already trusts you. You could get strong enough to become Hokage. Strong enough to beat Akatsuki and bring Sasuke back.”

He was right, of course. She could train every day and become Hokage. If she’d tried, she could have become an active jounin, learned the ins and out of village politics, gained the respect of everyone there. In another life, if something had been different, maybe she  _ would _ have. But now, right now…

“It’s not what I want.” She admitted, more to herself than to Gaara. “I don’t want to be Hokage. The Hokage just sits around worrying about a village when the world is in danger, when people they care about are in danger. They’re stuck. They can’t go out and make a difference without fear of the other villages retaliating, without fear of leaving their own village undefended. If I was Hokage, I couldn’t be out here trying to help Naruto.”

Sakura looked back down at her scroll as she spoke, rows upon rows of descriptions and hand signs in front of her. “It’s stupid.” She lamented. “Naruto and Sasuke, they’re so damn strong and important compared to me. They have strong shinobi just jumping at the chance to train them and help them reach their dreams. But nobody ever reached out to me. Nobody ever thought I could be Hokage or anyone important, so now I have to be out here in the damned Sand village just so I can prove that I’m capable, that I  _ can _ help if they’d just let me. But what’s even more stupid is that they’re right. I don’t have any special jutsu or talents. I don’t have a Tailed Beast, I don’t have a Sharingan. I’m just Sakura. So it doesn’t even matter if I wanted to be a stupid Hokage anyway. I’ll never be more than just a backup for someone stronger.” She rolled the scroll back up with an angry snap. No, she  _ wouldn’t _ let herself get this emotional in front of Gaara. She’d pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind for the entire trip,  _ now _ wasn’t the time to get soft. “Yet here I am anyway, trying like an idiot to catch up to them. Using a stupid dumb scroll that hasn’t taught me anything useful yet, because nobody else wants to waste time teaching me.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Yup. The biggest idiot of Team Seven was actually me the whole time.”

More silence, and this time Sakura let herself wallow in it. Maybe she’d needed a break from the scroll anyway, and this was a good enough excuse. She didn’t even notice Gaara standing up, not until he was next to her and speaking again. 

“Every kick makes you stronger.”

Sakura opened her eyes, frowning. How dare he use her own words against her? That just wasn’t fair. Nobody could argue against their own logic. 

“Yeah.” She simply agreed. “So go be Kazekage if you want to be. If you go kick that air conditioner enough, they’ll have to let you.”

Gaara nodded, and said no more that night. He did, however, sit down next to her as she read, and Sakura realized for the first time that week that she truly was no longer afraid of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Two updates in one weekend? *thumbs up* No problem))


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, when the sand had subsided and the hot desert sun shone with clarity across the village, a solitary eagle made its way into one of Suna’s towers with a message taped to its leg.

This, of course, meant nothing to Sakura, who was much more focused on the fact that the storm had finished, and now she had to deal with the hellish landscape that was Suna in the middle of summer. It was  _ hot _ , it was blistering hot, and now that the skies were clear, that meant it was time for her to  _ leave _ and she’d have to leave in the middle of this  _ heat _ . She had no idea how it was possible for so many shinobi to thrive in this heat, especially considering what they wore. (Gaara’s brother, Kankuro, wore long sleeves and all  _ black _ , was the boy a lunatic?) 

With frizzled hair and sweat dripping in places she didn’t want to think about, Sakura began her final morning of training on the air conditioner that she had become so familiar with in the past week. She’d known she couldn’t stay in Suna forever, but now that it was time to leave, she found herself strangely hesitant. It was  _ nice _ , being in a safe location, not having to be at the beck and call of Tsunade, not having to run stupid missions to make a living. She felt  _ free _ . She could study what she wanted, train how she wanted, and nobody could tell her otherwise. Was this how Naruto and Sasuke felt right now? They wouldn’t have any responsibilities either, other than getting stronger. (At least, she liked to think Orochimaru wouldn’t be sending his ‘prized Uchiha’ on menial missions...though the thought of him having that conversation with Sasuke was enough to make her giggle.) 

Maybe she wasn’t gaining strength at the rate of her teammates. She certainly didn’t have a Sannin teaching her. But even after just a week of Suna training, she was kicking better, running longer...even her sensing jutsu had expanded a bit in range, useless otherwise as it was. Once she was out on the road again, she’d have to waste time surviving, catching her own meals, figuring out where to go next, and she was  _ not _ looking forward to those problems.

So right now, it was  _ hot _ , but she could deal with that, would  _ rather _ deal with that than the problems that were awaiting her.

It was about a hundred and fifty kicks into her reps that Sakura realized that Gaara was late. It shouldn’t have been concerning. Gaara was a Suna shinobi and probably had his own menial tasks and missions to attend to. He couldn’t be at her side  _ all _ the time. But a part of her had gotten used to the silent shinobi’s company, and now that he wasn’t around, she found herself uneasy. If someone found her kicking an air conditioner, she didn’t have the previous Kazekage’s son to back her up. 

It was even more unnerving once she’d transitioned to her village laps. Where once the locals had looked upon her and Gaara with hatred and scrutiny, now they just...glanced her way and then went back to her business. Did they really fear Gaara more than they did a foreign shinobi? 

Well, they’d have been  _ right _ in that fear, but the principle of the matter still bothered her. 

It was on her third lap that her routine was brought to an abrupt halt by the sudden arrival of five Suna shinobi. Gaara was among them, but standing foremost at their head was none other than Temari. For a brief moment, Sakura let her hand fall to the hilt of one of her kunai. The way they had appeared screamed hostility, but there was no way they’d attack a Konoha shinobi in view of the entire village, right? Not without risking it getting out, not without their treaty with Konoha being broken…

“We just got a message that you might be interested in.” Temari finally spoke, gently tossing her a small scroll. Sakura caught it, curiously peeking at the contents within.

It was a message from Konoha. A message about her.

Shit, fuck, damn, and piss.

_ The shinobi known as Sakura Haruno is believed to have defected from our village and joined with the rogue shinobi Orochimaru. Any potential information to her whereabouts will be rewarded, as well as any information regarding our other missing shinobi, Sasuke Uchiha. Your cooperation on this matter is appreciated.  _

“Imagine my surprise when I read this.” Temari commented as Sakura finished. “Last I heard, Orochimaru hasn’t been in this village since before our little war at the chunin exams. Want to tell me why you’re out here spying for him?”

_ Spying?  _ That was what they thought? Sakura spoke without thinking, her voice raised into an angry yell. “I’d never do a single damn bit of work for that creep in my life, do you hear me? Orochimaru can rot in hell!” 

Temari blinked at her outburst, looking shocked. Well, she had yelled a bit loudly, but it  _ was _ true. Sakura moved her hand away from her kunai, then held both of her hands up in a gesture of submission. The last thing she wanted was to get killed because of a misconception. 

“I haven’t defected. I mean, I didn’t want to defect.” Sakura began to explain. “But Sasuke is currently in Orochimaru’s hands, and Naruto is being hunted by the Akatsuki. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing while they’re both in danger, but that was exactly what Tsunade wanted me to do. She just assigned me to a different team and kept sending me on mission after stupid, dumb mission.” She took a breath, glancing over at Gaara as she spoke. Would he believe her, at least? After their conversation from before, he  _ had _ to believe her. “I left the village so I could try to learn what I could to help my teammates. I wasn’t lying when I told you that. I just...never got permission to leave the village in the first place. And since I didn’t want them to come after me, I told them I’d left to join Sasuke and Orochimaru. I figured they wouldn’t have expected me to come here, and it looks like they didn’t.” 

“Idiot Leaf brat.” Temari rolled her eyes. “You have Gaara to thank for the reason you’re still standing. If not for him, this lot would have wanted you dead without a second thought.” 

Sakura lowered her head. Damn it all, she hadn’t thought about how the Sand might react to the knowledge that someone ‘working for Orochimaru’ had been gathering information in their village. Then again, she hadn’t expected Tsunade to contact the Sand about  _ her _ in the first place. She wasn’t a strong shinobi, she wasn’t a member of a prominent clan, so why had the Leaf been worried about her to begin with?

Unless…

_ Any potential information on her whereabouts will be rewarded… _

It wasn’t  _ her _ they cared about, it was  _ where _ she was. If she had defected and gone to Sasuke, that meant she knew where Sasuke was. Leaf didn’t care about her at all, they just care about what she knew!

But despite this revelation, there was another she had to consider. Someone  _ had _ cared enough about her to want her alive, and that someone was Gaara of all people. Her life, it seemed, was currently in his hands.

“I swear, I’m not working for Orochimaru.” She reiterated. “I’m only working for myself and my teammates. If you’re planning on taking me in, I won’t resist. I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

Temari’s eyes narrowed as she listened to her. Examined her. Probably trying to figure out if she was lying or not. Regardless, it seemed as though Sakura wasn’t going to die today, as the shinobi around her appeared to relax slightly at her proclamation.

“This changes things.” Temari admitted. “I’m placing you in Gaara’s custody until we can decide what to do with you. If you’re being honest with us, you’ll stay put and won’t try anything stupid, alright?”

Sakura simply nodded in agreement. What choice did she have? She couldn’t run away now, not with Gaara being the one to look after her. All of her earlier fears melted away as one new fear was brought to the forefront of her mind. If she wasn’t killed or imprisoned here in Suna for being a rogue, she was definitely going to get dragged back to Konoha. Her streak of rebellion was nearing its end, and all she’d managed to get out of it was a short trip to Suna and a week of uninterrupted training.

She let herself sigh as Gaara made his way to her side. For all her effort, this was as far as she’d gotten? No wonder her village didn’t see her on the same level as her teammates. 

“It’s hot.” She spoke to Gaara. “Can we at least wait at the inn so I’m not burning to death out here?”

Gaara nodded, and the (likely final) trek back to her temporary home began. 

 

-

 

“Are you afraid?”

It had been an hour since they’d arrived back at the inn, and the first time Gaara had spoken to her all day. Sakura was initially dismissive of the question.

“I mean, I guess I’m afraid of what Tsunade’s going to do to me if you send me back, but I doubt she’ll kill me. I’m not important enough to get that harsh of a sentence. She’ll probably yell at me and put me on D mission duty for a year.”

Gaara shook his head. “No. Not that.” He explained. “I meant Orochimaru. And Akatsuki. Aren’t you afraid to be facing them alone?” 

“Oh.” That was a question she hadn’t really considered. “Well, of course I am. I’m not nearly strong enough to face them.”

“But you still left your village. Alone.”

“Yeah.” Sakura agreed. “I told you I was an idiot. I’d hoped I’d be too insignificant to even matter to them. They’re not looking for  _ me _ , they want my teammates. I was surprised that my own village even though I was worth making any sort of fuss over.” 

Silence for a while longer. Sakura fiddled with one of her kunai as she waited. The anticipation was the worst part, wondering what the Sand were going to do with her. But then, Gaara surprised her by speaking again.

“Were you afraid back then, when I came for Sasuke?” 

Back then…

It seemed so distant now, after everything, but even so Sakura could remember the maniacal look on Gaara’s face as he barreled towards her, half transformed into hideous beast. “Yes.” She admitted. “Of course I was. But I couldn’t just do nothing. I couldn’t let someone I cared about get hurt by you. Those who abandon their comrades...they’re worse than scum.” She couldn’t help but smile a bit as Kakashi’s words rung in her mind. She looked back to Gaara. “But why does it matter to you if I was afraid?”

“It doesn’t.” Gaara admitted. “What matters is that you moved anyway.” 

Sakura froze as his words reached her. 

What mattered was that she moved anyway. 

Of course.  _ Of course _ .

She stood up, pocketing her kunai and making her way to her backpack. Most of her supplies were still packed, just a few odds and ends things that she had to shove in and she’d be ready to go. She pulled the backpack over her shoulder before turning to face Gaara again. 

“Are you going to stop me?” She asked.

“No.” Gaara replied. 

“You’re going to get hell for letting me go. Everyone knows I’m not strong enough to stop you if you were trying.”

“I won’t.” Gaara answered. “Because I’m going to be doing something worse than letting you go.”

“Oh?” Sakura frowned in confusion. “And what could you possibly do short of killing someone that’s worse than letting a rogue ninja escape your custody?”

“I’m going to come with you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Thank you all again for the kind reviews. I'm finally getting to the parts of this plot I was excited to write, and I hope you all will enjoy them too.))


	9. A Brief Intermission

Kakashi was starting to think that he was a terrible person.

Well, no. That was a lie. This wasn’t the start of such thoughts, but this was definitely some sort of confirmation from the universe. It definitely wasn’t enough that he had failed Sasuke and allowed him to fall into the hands of a particularly nasty shinobi. It definitely wasn’t enough that he had ( _ let them die _ ) failed Obito and Rin. It definitely wasn’t enough that…

Well. He could go on. He had gone on, in the past. He’d let himself wallow in the misery of his failures, let the past distract him from the present he  _ should _ have been in. If he hadn’t wasted so much time, if he hadn’t been so distracted, could he have kept Sasuke safe?

And now, more importantly, could he have convinced Sakura to stay?

He’d been so  _ stupid _ and Sakura had taken advantage of it in a way that he hadn’t thought her capable of. Lying to his face, using him to ensure that the only people who would have known something was up weren’t anywhere near her, and then…

_ I can’t live without him. I’m going to join Sasuke and Orochimaru.  _

And then he read that letter and every single barrier he’d put up against his emotions had come crumbling down, every single failure crushing down on whatever strength he’d had left, and suddenly there was only one thing he could do, only one thing he  _ had _ to do, and that was  _ stop her before he failed her too. _

Tsunade had tried to stop him. Claim that there was no way Sakura could have gotten far, she certainly wasn’t the  _ Uchiha _ , a good team of chunin could probably track her down in a day, and the part that  _ really _ stung was that Tsunade was probably right. Sakura had always been behind her teammates in terms of skill and strength, but this wasn’t just a problem for the village anymore. This was a problem for  _ him _ . He’d thought he could count on Sakura to keep her composure, to stay safe in the village and learn at her own pace, but he couldn’t even get  _ that _ right. He had to be the one to retrieve her, no matter how much Tsunade yelled at him to stay. If not him, if not someone who  _ understood _ …

Not to discount, of course, that he  _ was _ fairly good at tracking. The dogs of his clan could pick up on any scent, so he could catch up on Sakura in no time as long as he moved quickly. Then, once he found her, he could work on picking up the pieces of himself, the pieces of this  _ team _ that had fallen apart like brittle glass. 

His run came to a stop in the direction of the Land of Rice Fields, where he knew the Sound Village had been established. Orochimaru was there, and that was the direction that Sasuke had fled. Sakura would have gone here. He held in his hand the headband that Sakura had left behind, no doubt bathed in her scent. It would have to do.

Some blood and a few hand signs later, a half a dozen shinobi mutts stood in front of him. He held out the headband for each to sniff.

“Find her. As quick as possible.” 

The dogs dispersed, and the waiting, the  _ impossible _ waiting began. Kakashi worked to push down his anxieties, though he couldn’t even dwell on the fact that it had been  _ two days _ before anyone had noticed Sakura was missing. Not even her parents, who had assumed her absence had been due to her shinobi schedule, not even her new team who had assumed her ill. In two days she could have covered a considerable distance.

But he was faster. He could catch up. He had to catch up.

It was a long half an hour before all six of his dogs returned to him. But the few seconds of realization seemed to last even longer.

“None of you found anything?”

“Not a thing.” Pakkun replied, looking about as grave as Kakashi felt. “Whichever direction she went, it wasn’t this way. Either that or she found a way to completely cover her scent.”

Unlikely, Kakashi figured. There was no way Sakura could have gotten  _ that good _ so quickly, he could count the number of shinobi that good on one hand. But if she hadn’t gone in the direction of the Sound Village, then…

Which direction had she gone?

Kakashi couldn’t help but let a small smile come to his face. One of the first lessons he’d taught her was to ‘look underneath the underneath’. Sakura had been devious enough to lie to him, to get information out of him, then maybe, just maybe…

“You little minx.” He said aloud. He gestured to his hounds, and began the trek back in the direction of the village. He’d have to start from her house, he supposed, and hope her trail was good enough to pick up the real direction she had gone. 

The only question was: where would Sakura Haruno have gone if not to Sasuke? She had no way of knowing where Jiraiya had taken Naruto; that had been the point. But there was nowhere else immediately obvious that came to mind. Sakura had put together some sort of plan and had gone in the exact opposite place that anyone had expected her to. She had used a letter to convince others that she had gone to Sasuke, maybe in the hopes that they would get distracted long enough to get her a head start. (Maybe in the hopes they wouldn’t have looked for her at all.) 

Alright. Maybe he hadn’t completely failed her yet. But come hell or high water, that girl was getting a  _ lecture _ once he found her.


	10. Chapter 10

“And I’m saying  _ absolutely not! _ ”

Which was hopeless to say, of course, because Sakura had already said it a dozen times now, and here she was, stomping around in Gaara’s home while the Jinchuuriki methodically packed his things. She wondered if stubbornness was a trait of  _ all _ Jinchuuriki or if she’d just gotten unlucky with him and Naruto.

“Did you completely miss my whole explanation of how  _ nine S-ranked shinobi currently are looking to kidnap you?” _

“I did not.” Gaara replied. Sakura glanced over just in time to see him start to grab toothbrushes. (Somehow she’d just...never pictured him doing the mundane parts of living. It was odd enough seeing he had a  _ house _ .)

“Well, how about the fact that I am  _ not _ an S-ranked shinobi and I am probably incapable of distracting  _ one _ of Akatsuki for more than a minute?”

Gaara didn’t respond. Whether to be polite or if he just didn’t care, Sakura wasn’t sure. Perhaps a bit of both. She wasn’t sure which option infuriated her more, so she let herself continue to rant.

“How about the fact that the instant you leave here with me, all of Suna is going to put a huge fucking target on  _ both _ our heads, on top of the target that Konoha  _ already put on me _ .” It felt strangely good to curse. She’d always held back, wanting to be seen as the mature one, but there wasn’t a reason to be mature now. This was Gaara’s  _ life _ he was throwing away. “What if Suna never takes you back? What if you never have a home again because you leave with me?”

Gaara paused and looked back at her, his expression the most angry she’d seen him in a while. “What gave you the impression I considered this a home to begin with?”

Sakura grimaced, biting her lip as she forced herself to pace away from Gaara’s glaring eyes. Right. Of course. It wasn’t like Gaara had any attachment to his home, not like Naruto did. No, she really couldn’t fault him for wanting to leave, and if situations had been different...if it had just been Orochimaru that was the problem and not  _ Akatsuki _ …

“I can’t protect you.” She finally admitted, her voice softening. “If you come with me, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve condemned you to death, Gaara.”

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see a Gaara fully packed, even more determined than before. “I’d rather die with a friend than here.” 

Here...but that had been the point, hadn’t it? If he stayed here, the village could keep him  _ safe _ .

But then Sakura remembered how just  _ one _ of the Akatsuki had taken on four jounin of her village and survived, had put Kakashi and Sasuke into a coma that none but Tsunade could have brought them out of, how Itachi Uchiha had gone toe to toe with  _ Jiraiya _ and scared him enough that he had whisked Naruto away for his own protection.

And that was just one of them.

If all nine Akatsuki decided to take Gaara from this village, could anyone stop them? For that matter, following that thought, why hadn’t they yet? Had they captured all of the other Jinchuuriki?

_ Were Gaara and Naruto the only ones left? _

And suddenly Sakura  _ got _ why Jiraiya had taken Naruto and ran. It wasn’t that Jiraiya thought he could stand up against Akatsuki if they came for Naruto, it was that traveling around without a goal made Naruto  _ harder to find _ , and the longer he could distract Akatsuki, the more time he had to come up with a plan to deal with them.

Which meant that logically, Gaara leaving with her was somehow, stupidly, the safest thing he could probably do. Yes, Suna would try to retrieve him, but Suna wouldn’t be stupid enough to announce to the entire world that one of their strongest shinobi had gone missing. After their war with Konoha, it would all but ensure their demise if any other country thought them weaker than they were now.

Which meant that, whether they wanted to or not, Suna would cover them. Akatsuki wouldn’t be looking for her, they’d be looking where they  _ expected _ Gaara to be. 

This was such a stupid idea it was actually  _ smart _ .

“You need to disguise yourself.” Sakura finally spoke, moving to some of Gaara’s cabinets to look for something, anything. “That tattoo is kind of unique, we could cover it with some makeup. Dye your hair, if you’ll let me. And that gourd, can you make it a different shape?” She vaguely remembered his entire gourd being made of his sand, from his fight with Lee. Gaara nodded, and she watched as the gourd began to stretch and elongate until it very distinctly looked the part of a rather large scroll. Scrolls were common enough in the shinobi world, and that still meant his sand was close to him, where he liked it. “Good, that’s a good start.”

“Your hair, too?” Gaara pointed to her. Sakura frowned as she considered her rare color. She  _ liked _ the pink. Maybe it wasn’t a very shinobi-like color, but it was  _ her  _ color.

“It’s not like Akatsuki’s looking for me.” She countered with a pout.

“Then no dyeing.” 

Sakura looked over just in time to see...wait, was  _ Gaara _ sulking too? He looked like he was trying to mimic her expression, but, well,  _ failing _ horribly. It was like the poor boy hadn’t exercised his facial muscles in years. She couldn’t help but giggle.

“Fine, fine, so we find something to cover our heads with. I’m sure a headscarf or two would do us fine, and we still need to cover that tattoo whether you want to or not.” 

One hour of sifting through Gaara’s clothes later, Sakura finally considered the two of them ‘disguised’. It was awkward wearing a boy’s clothes, but they were about the same height and Sakura would have been stupid not to take advantage of the opportunity. Once they were out of the desert, she could change back. Their heads were covered, defining traits concealed, and Sakura doubted even experienced jonin would notice them unless they were given enough time to determine something was off...and if they were successful, nobody was going to get that chance.

Looking at her map, as well as using what little knowledge of existing Jinchuuriki she had, Sakura began to put together a plan. “We need to take the route that will let us get away from Suna quickly, but also avoid Konoha. Which is difficult, Konoha is right smack in the middle of everyone, so we’re going to need to keep to the edges of the map. And that actually works out perfectly for us.” Sakura grinned as she began to draw a line on the paper. “First we go to Iwagakure. My readings claim that the First Hokage gave at least one of the Tailed Beasts to the first Tsuchikage as a sign of goodwill. Iwa’s always been a bit warmongering in the past, so we’ll have to tread carefully, but since we’re both technically missing-nin…”

“They won’t have cause to think our villages are moving against them.” Gaara nodded. “We find the Jinchuuriki, and then?”

“Warn them of Akatsuki.” If they hadn't been captured yet. “Get whatever information from them we can. Then we move on.” Several more lines were drawn on the map. “From there, Takigakure. It’s not confirmed but it is rumored there’s a Jinchuuriki there. Worth looking into. And-”

“You put Otogakure on the path.” Gaara pointed out. “After Waterfall.”

“Y-yeah.” Sakura nodded, sheepish. “Well, I also want to try and learn about Orochimaru if I can. That place is going to be the most dangerous out of all of them. Orochimaru knows I’m Sasuke’s teammate, and he’ll have probably heard you’ve left with me by then. But I’m hoping we can use my lie to Konoha to our advantage and have him think I’ve turned traitor.” 

“You want to find Sasuke.”

“Of course I do. And if he’s so stubborn about not wanting to go back to the village, well, that’s fine. He can just come with us to Kumogakure.” Sakura pointed to the next location on her route. “Confirmed two Jinchuuriki there, and then finally to Kirigakure to investigate the rumors there.”

“And when we’re done?”

Sakura looked to Gaara, taking a deep breath. “ _ If _ we make it that far, I think I’ll quit being a shinobi and turn to religion, because  _ someone _ divine is going to have to have our backs if we’re that lucky.”

One step at a time, anyway. They still had to escape Suna and  _ get _ to these places, and Sakura still wasn't quite sure that first step was going to go well. Gaara seemed confident, however, and he did know the village better than her. 

They made their way to the roof, checking the immediate area for any signs of shinobi. In the distance, the north wall of the village stood strong, a massive cliff-face that was higher than Sakura had probably climbed in her life. And yet, that was their goal. North to Iwa. 

“As long as we keep a natural pace, we shouldn't draw suspicion.” Gaara spoke so softly, Sakura wasn't sure how she could even hear him. Damn,  _ she _ needed to learn how to be that quiet. “My only concern is the standard patrol. If they see us, they might question us.”

Sakura suddenly couldn't help but grin. 

For the first time in a LONG time, Sakura was going to be useful. 

A couple quick hand signs later, and Sakura reached out to sense nearby chakra. “There's three south of us, five east, two northeast, one west, and… two northwest.” She peaked her eyes open just in time to see the look Gaara gave her: one part confusion and one part respect. “I haven't been studying that scroll for the hell of it, you know. It’s a sensing scroll. As long as you can chart the best path, I can keep track of everyone.” Her grin widened as she turned to face west. “I think we’ll avoid most of the locals going that way. I'll need to stop every couple hundred feet or so to recheck the area.” A slow pace, but a safe one. And every second they weren't found was one that got them closer to their destination. 

Gaara took point, stepping to the roof’s edge before looking back to Sakura. “When you're ready, then.”

Sakura was definitely  _ not _ ready and not ever  _ going _ to be ready to escape a hidden village again. And unlike Konoha, Suna would likely kill her now if they caught her. This was life or death. Equivalent, she was sure, to some sort of A rank mission. 

She took a deep breath, and the running began. 

 

The trick to being a shinobi had to be a good poker face. 

There was no reason why a couple of high ranking Suna jonin  _ couldn’t  _ have stopped them on their escape and asked what they were up to, but Sakura was beginning to learn that exuding an aura of ‘I am supposed to be here’ was a better disguise than literally any jutsu could accomplish. At one point, when they had reached a junction where crossing the path of a shinobi was unavoidable, Sakura had taken another breath and had simply… walked. 

It was a market district, she’d deduced. Strange folk pass by there all the time. There was no need to pay any attention to her or her partner. They were there to shop. No suspicious activity, definitely not trying to flee the village. 

It was then Sakura realized exactly how Uchiha Itachi had infiltrated her village so easily. Before they'd known of Akatsuki’s trademark robes, there'd been no  _ reason _ to look for any “suspiciously dressed” shinobi, because there wasn't any known clothing that could have reasonably been considered suspicious. Merchants came and went constantly, and the guards probably just considered Itachi another traveler. Hell, if Akatsuki was smart, they'd ditch the robes and be able to infiltrate every village with ease. 

Oh shit, what if they already  _ had _ ? 

Now, however, was not the time to panic over what ifs. They had reached the village walls, and now began the more risky part of their journey. Did they dare risk taking the normal path out of the village? Or was it safer to climb over, potentially being spotted on the way up  _ and _ having to risk climbing down again after? 

Another breath. Calm, collected steps. Sakura was meant to be here. She was meant to be leaving the village. 

In her mind, she tried her best to pull a persona over herself. It was surprisingly easy. She had grappled with her inner voice for years, taking on the demeanor of a sweet, innocent girl over the  _ real _ her that was brash and loud and obnoxious. The new persona was a merchant, heading in the direction of Iwagakure after coming to Suna for business. 

“Good thing that sandstorm finally broke, huh?” Sakura spoke to the gate guards as she approached, trying her best to seem jovial. Silently, Gaara followed her. “If I'd been stuck here another day, I might have been late for a very important meeting!”

The two guards blinked as they considered her, and then one spoke up, professional and polite. “Be careful out there on the road, ma’am. Sometimes the storms wear away at the road. Wouldn't want anyone getting lost!”

“Thanks for the warning, friend!” Sakura gave the man a pleasant wave and kept walking. 

And walking. 

And walking. 

If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn that she'd been holding her breath for the past mile. As their view of the village finally began to fade under the horizon, Sakura stopped, putting her hands on her knees. 

“Gaara, holy shit.”

Gaara was silent, of course. Sakura took the pause to breathe the anxiety out of her nerves. Merchant persona was gone, and now it was just quiet Sakura who hadn't been so afraid since  _ Sasuke left.  _

“It was that easy.” She found herself saying. “It was that easy to just walk out without any questions, no  _ wonder _ Orochimaru and Akatsuki haven't been caught yet. I'm a genin with barely any talents and I just walked out of a guarded village without being stopped  _ once.” _

And to be fair, it was likely nobody had realized yet that Gaara had allowed her to escape (and run off  _ with  _ her). But now Sakura had become seriously worried about her own village’s security. The wrong person could walk right through the gates and just… do whatever they wanted! Learn whatever they wanted! 

Hell, this whole thing had started with her breaking into Konoha’s most secure library! 

“I'm starting to think that I have severely been overestimating most shinobi.” Sakura concluded. “They're so worried about grand, obvious threats that they let the small, sneaky ones slip right through.”

“Good thing we’re a small, sneaky one then.”

Sakura let out a hollow laugh. When she returned to Konoha, she was going to give Tsunade a  _ lecture.  _

Assuming she lived long enough. Assuming Tsunade didn't knock her lights out next time she saw her.

 

From there, Sakura and Gaara ran. The initial escape was done, and now all that mattered was putting as much distance between them and Suna as possible. Sakura noted, as they ran, that Gaara was focusing and allowing his sand to whip at the ground behind them, removing all trace of their footprints. Suna wasn’t stupid; they’d check each of the gates once they realized their prisoner and Jinchuuriki were gone, but ensuring they didn’t have a noticeable trail would make things easier. (And Sakura could only hope the gate guards didn’t think twice about the two ‘merchants’ that had passed them by.)

Eventually, Sakura allowed her run to leave the safety of the main road. It wasn’t quite as scary having a native Suna shinobi at her back; if another sandstorm hit, she figured Gaara of all people would know how to handle it. The main road was winding and ‘safe’, but off-road would be the most direct path to Iwa. They’d save time, precious time, and once they crossed the border into the Land of Earth, Suna shinobi would be less likely to follow them. 

They ran well into the day and deep into the night. Only the past week of jogging in a desert environment allowed Sakura to keep conscious at all under the desert heat, as well as the clothes she had donned. (Despite the fact that she was  _ more _ covered, the lightweight fabrics breathed well and shaded her skin from the sun’s rays. So  _ that _ was how Kankuro could keep covered all the time.) 

It was as the sun began to peek over the horizon again that the two finally stopped for rest. Gaara, in his element, moved the sand beneath them to create a large hole. Then, he pulled his own sand above them, making a solid ceiling and leaving a single hole for air. That, combined with a small oil lamp he’d brought along, made the perfect little hideaway. Sakura couldn't help but be impressed. The sand would blend in with the rest of the desert, and they'd be shielded from the sun while they slept. 

Though what Sakura  _ hadn’t  _ known what that Gaara apparently did not sleep. Ever. 

It explained the bags around his eyes, though Sakura had read about the negative effects of sleep deprivation on one’s psyche. No wonder Gaara had been so…  _ unstable _ . 

“Naruto’s never had to worry about sleeping.” Sakura pointed out as she dug some food from her backpack. “Do you think Kyuubi’s not as overbearing as Shukaku?”

“No.” Gaara disagreed. “I would guess that the seal used to bind Shukaku is different from the one used on Kyuubi. Shukaku’s seal has been notoriously weak. Over the years our elders have tried strengthening it, but it will inevitably begin to decay as I grow old.”

“We need to figure out how to fix that.” Sakura decided. “It would be a hell of a lot easier for you to deal with Shukaku after a good night’s sleep, I would think.”

Gaara had nothing more to say on that, and Sakura was already at a dead end anyway. She knew nothing of sealing techniques, and there hadn't been anything written on the seal that was used on Naruto. Though if Gaara could wait a couple of years, they could always petition Konoha for the design, surely Tsunade would see the benefit…

Sakura’s stomach tightened. She missed home. She missed her fellow genin, her parents, even Tsunade’s stern voice would have sounded heavenly. It had been easy to distract herself at Suna, but now, out in the desert? She missed  _ beds _ and  _ showers _ and  _ people _ . 

“How do you feel?” She forced herself to ask. “Now that you've officially left home?”

Gaara looked to her before closing his eyes, thinking. “Nothing.” He answered. “Nothing at all.”

“Oh.”

Well, maybe that was expected. He didn't have friends back in Suna. And he didn’t need a bed, so why would he have cause to miss one? 

“If we ever go back to Konoha, we’ll get that seal fixed.” Sakura promised. “And then I'm going to find you the biggest, comfiest bed in the village for your first nap. Then, when you leave, you’ll have something to miss.”

Gaara said nothing, but even under the dim light, Sakura could have sworn she saw a smile. 

 

-

 

Sakura woke to panicked breathing and muttered words. 

Before she could even process what was going on, her hand went to her kunai. The oil lamp had long gone out, and the hole in the ceiling wasn't enough to illuminate much of anything. It took Sakura a minute before she realized that the words were coming from Gaara. 

“I won't kill her… I  _ won’t. _ ”

Sakura froze, and her hand gripped the handle of her kunai tightly. That muttering… that was like how he had been during the chunin exams. When Shukaku’s influence was strong. How strong was the Beast now? Gaara was fighting it, it seemed, but how well could Gaara hold up against something so powerful? 

“I'm not weak.  _ You’re wrong. _ ”

An inhuman growl seemed to tear itself from Gaara, and Sakura saw a flutter of movement in front of her. She thrust her kunai out defensively, but didn't connect, and nothing connected with her. There was something large in front of her, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she recognized the large claw of Shukaku, made with Gaara’s sand, outstretched at her. But it was hesitating… Gaara was holding it back. 

“ _ Not her _ .  _ Not this time _ .”

The claw gently fell to the ground, and the sand began to slither back into the earth. Sakura could see Gaara a bit more clearly now. He was clutching his head, shaking. 

He seemed… afraid. Not some powerful, killer shinobi. Just a scared boy. A boy who was trying not to kill her. 

“Gaara, take a deep breath.” Sakura found herself instructing. “You're stronger than it thinks. You don't have to kill.”

“It’s been too long.” He answered, his voice half a growl as it tore itself from his throat. “There hasn't been any blood. It’s not satisfied, it won't be satisfied.”

Sakura paused. He was… communicating with it. Even if it was currently murderous, Shukaku was talking. 

She didn't know if she'd get this opportunity again. 

“Why?” She asked. “Why does it want blood? Does it need it to survive?”

The question was enough to stop Gaara’s shaking momentarily. He was confused, and maybe the question had been direct enough to distract Shukaku as well. 

“It… it hates us.” Gaara finally replied. “It hates humanity. Humanity is… humanity is a blight on this earth, to be killed, to be bled dry.”

“Is it because we sealed it away? Does it want revenge?”

The silence seemed to hang for an eternity. A minute passed, another, then another, and just when Sakura had given up hope on an answer, Gaara finally spoke again, no longer in a growl, but strangely calm. 

“No?” Gaara’s confusion was clear. “Humanity is… cursed. They did not learn. They will not learn.”

“Learn? Learn what?”

“They bicker and squabble and kill like animals, so they should be put down like  _ animals _ .”

Well… Sakura couldn't argue with it there. War and shinobi had gone hand in hand since before the founding of the villages. But… “So you think killing us is the answer? We won't learn that way. The only way we can learn is by example, and if you encourage us to kill, we’ll never change.”

Gaara was quiet again, but Sakura suddenly felt as though a weight off her chest had been lifted. The aura that Shukaku’s chakra generated… it was so heavy that  _ anyone  _ could feel it. “It… said we don't deserve its help. Only its judgment.” Gaara spoke. “But now it’s gone. Just… gone.” He looked up at her, now more afraid than ever. “It doesn't just leave.”

“Well, I'm sure it’s still  _ there _ , but it seems like I got the better end of that argument.” Sakura couldn't help but laugh. The fear she had been repressing finally came forward, shaking its way into her hands and causing her to drop the kunai to the ground. 

She could have  _ died.  _

She could have died but she didn't. She and Shukaku had  _ spoken _ , even if indirectly. 

And there was  _ so  _ much to unpack. 

But not now. She'd been woken from her sleep, and her mind wasn't nearly rested enough to consider the implications of the conversation. But before that, before sleep… 

She stood, going to Gaara’s side and sitting next to him. He shook, still, more than she was. “Can I touch you?” She found herself asking. Gaara looked to her, unsure until she reached out to gently touch his shoulder. He didn't pull away, so she let her hand remain. 

“... I tried to kill you.”

“Well it’s not like it's the first time. What matters this time is that you stopped.”

Gaara nodded. “I stopped.” He repeated. “I never stop.”

“Wrong. This time, you stopped. And that means you’ll always be able to stop, whenever you want.”

“Whenever I want…” Gaara nodded again. “I can stop.”

 

They sat for an hour in silence, and Sakura didn't take her hand off of his shoulder until exhaustion overwhelmed her and all she could do was sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Here's an extra long update since I'll be away from internet over the weekend. With this, SBATC will have hit three milestones: 20k words, 1000 views, and 100 kudos. Your guys' support means everything to me, and now that the official 'setup' for this fic is done, I hope the real meat of the story will continue to please.))


	11. Chapter 11

Two shinobi patrols had passed them in the night. 

Gaara’s sand covering them proved more than enough to keep them from being discovered, but Sakura still couldn't help but feel uneasy as they silently packed up their small camp. Until they were out of Sand country, would they truly be safe? 

Now was the time, she decided, to  _ really _ work on her sensing jutsu. 

“I'll know if anyone comes within about two hundred feet.” She explained aloud. If they were going to be traveling together, she figured Gaara needed to know what she was (and wasn’t) capable of. “But right now the technique is just a pulse. I can't keep it up permanently.”

“So every two hundred feet we check again.” Gaara confirmed. “I will look for anything you miss.”

“What I really need is a way to keep it going for a long time.” Sakura complained, digging out her scroll to mull over the writing. “Right now I've only succeeded in the first two techniques. Basic sensing and nature affinity sensing and oh my  _ god _ I just  _ realized!”  _ Gaara gave her a confused look as a grin came to her face. “Gaara do you know your chakra affinity?”

“Earth.” Gaara answered, and that was  _ it _ , that was piece one of a puzzle she’d been unable to get before. 

“Hold still. Try to maybe channel some earth chakra for me, please.” 

Gaara did so and as Sakura concentrated her chakra the piece clicked into place and of  _ course _ that was what earth chakra felt like: deep, solid, unmoving, unbreaking, like the ground beneath her feet. It was the energy that she’d felt on a fair amount of the Suna shinobi, the one that had put her at ease, and Sakura couldn’t help but wonder if the other affinities were also as obvious as her mind wanted to believe they were. Suna was supposed to be Wind Country, so was that riling force that so many seemed to exude a wind energy?

“You wouldn’t happen to know any techniques of a different affinity, would you?” Sakura asked tentatively, and though it took far more of Gaara’s focus and a few hand signs, suddenly a breath of wind left his mouth and Sakura confirmed two things.

One, the riling force was  _ absolutely _ wind energy, which meant now she knew two affinities for certain. Two, Sakura could use this technique not only for sensing the affinity of a person, but the affinity of a  _ technique _ , which meant that if she could successfully use this sensing in battle, she could at least deduce the affinity that would work best against whatever technique was being used against her.

The trouble was, right now anyway, this sensing jutsu took up all of her focus. A shinobi didn’t have the safety in battle to just sense without moving or protecting themselves. 

“I need to practice as we move.” Sakura confirmed. “And I need to practice  _ while _ moving, which is essentially looking forward while looking everywhere else simultaneously.” She let out a groan and slumped to the ground. “I’m not a damned  _ Hyuuga _ .” She lamented. “No wonder people fear them so much.”

And it wasn’t just  _ chakra _ that Hyuuga could sense with their All-Seeing Eyes either, they could see  _ everything _ in a 360 degree radius, see through  _ walls _ , see the tenketsu points in the body that allowed chakra to flow, and all of this was a genetic skill they could access from  _ childhood _ . Sakura was trying to emulate the finer points of a kekkei genkai, and now she could begin to admit that there might have been a reason that this sensing scroll was kept locked up in the most secure library in Konoha. 

The other depressing fact was that this was only sensing. Just because she could sense a user and what they could do didn’t mean she had the arsenal to counter them. Right now, all she could hope was that whatever she sensed, Gaara was enough to take them down, and while she was fairly certain Gaara was capable of holding his own against the majority of enemies they might come up against, that wasn’t the  _ point _ , she was supposed to be working to  _ protect  _ the Jinchuuriki, not the other way around.

So, Sakura concluded, she needed to learn. She needed to learn new techniques and practice her own, and hope to whatever gods might be out there that they didn’t find any Akatsuki members on the road until then.

“So you are an earth user, but you’ve learned some wind techniques.” Sakura spoke again. “Anything else?” Gaara shook his head. Too good to be true to hope he had another affinity up his sleeve. “Right. Well, that means if there’s an earth or wind shinobi, I’ll know, but I’ll be guessing on the other three. Other than basic shinobi techniques like substitution, I only know one technique of use…” She let out another groan. “And that’s the Tunneling Technique. Maybe I’m the one that should have been called ‘dead last’ in school. The most deadly thing in my arsenal is just me getting lucky with a shuriken throw.”

“Tunneling.” Gaara confirmed, thinking aloud. “An earth technique.”

“Yep.”

“So...you want to learn more earth techniques?”

“What? I mean, you know them?” Sakura didn’t want to be surprised, but she’d kind of thought that Gaara’s sand was his entire game. “Because I can’t do the...do the sand thing, you know.”

“I had to gain a fundamental understanding of earth nature to fully know how to manipulate the sand around me.” Gaara explained. “I may do so differently than most, but my sand techniques mimic earth techniques that other shinobi know.” He lifted a hand, and Sakura watched as he began to demonstrate. His sand flowed out from the scroll on his back until a decent pile sat between them. With a flick of his hand, it shot upwards, solidifying into a wall. Then, with another hand movement, the wall separated into small pieces. The pieces shot forward like small projectiles, burying themselves into the sandwall that made up the cave. 

It was...simple, but impressive. And of course, there was a problem. “You’re doing that without hand signs.” Sakura lamented. “Us non-Jinchuuriki usually need hand signs to make a jutsu work.”

“The strong ones don’t.”

“...oh  _ come on _ .”

Sakura hated that Gaara was right, hated it because now she had  _ another _ goal to stack on her never ending list of probably impossible goals she'd never reach. Kakashi still had to use hand signs for his jutsu, Sakura didn't know anyone short of  _ Hokage _ level (other than Jinchuuriki of course) that had the control for such a feat. And without a teacher, she didn't even have a place to start, other than to just…do it. 

“One kick at a time.” Gaara told her, and Sakura was really beginning to  _ regret _ planting that thought in his mind. 

  
  


It didn't take long for a training schedule to make itself known. 

When the sun began to set, Gaara would wake her, and the two would begin Rock Lee’s Youthful Training Combos. Gaara would erect a pillar of sand for them to use as a punching dummy, and Sakura couldn't help but find it humorous that the pillar always seemed to sort of look like an air conditioner. 

Once physical training was done, Gaara would begin to pack up the camp, and Sakura would try to cast a jutsu with only one hand sign. She needed to take steps; there was no use in cutting out hand signs entirely until she was certain she was capable of negating any at  _ all _ . The Tunneling Technique was a rough start, but Sakura figured if she could maintain the dimensions of a tunnel in her mind  _ and _ understand the chakra manipulation needed to dig simultaneously, well, there'd be nothing she couldn't do. 

Once Gaara had finished packing, they moved out. They ran at a steady pace northwards, not too fast, but always pushing themselves. Sakura’s job was to pulse for chakra signatures every couple hundred feet, and Gaara’s job was to ensure she didn't run into a rock while doing it. Sakura never thought she'd consider running to be the easiest part of her day, but hitting a rhythm seemed to calm her, as well as knowing for sure that they were progressing and nobody had caught up yet to stop them. 

Sunset, and then came finding a place to camp. Sakura insisted on trying to dig camping holes into the desert sands herself, failing miserably at first until Gaara sat her down and began to explain the different layers of earth beneath her, how sand was light and typically did not pack well unless acted on by a stronger force, and that the dirt and clay beneath the sand required far more energy to move aside. The comprehension was enough to help her move the earth more efficiently, but at the end of the day her holes were only just big enough to fit two people standing side by side. 

After enough failures, Gaara would make a cozy sand nest for them, they would eat, and Sakura would continue with training jutsu without hand signs. She would never last long before chakra depletion and exhaustion overcame her, and more often than not would simply pass out where she sat, waking up the next morning covered by a warm blanket. 

It was on day four that Shukaku spoke again. 

Morning had come and the two had taken shelter beneath the sand once again, and thus began another of Sakura’s fruitless efforts to create a tunnel with a single hand sign. Without a single sort of indication to any progress, Sakura didn't feel great about the training. No way of telling what she was doing wrong, no way to correct herself… 

And then Gaara began to mutter to himself, which he hadn't done since he’d nearly attacked Sakura on their first night out of Suna. This time though, the mutterings did not seem desperate or scared, only confused. 

Sakura felt brave enough to approach; Gaara had resisted the urge to kill once, so she figured her chances were fairly good. As she sat down next to him, she gently put her hand on his shoulder again, and immediately she noticed Gaara take calmer, more even breaths… did touch mean so much to him? 

“What is it saying?”

“That humans are weak and useless and can't do anything right.” Gaara replied. “It’s… he’s laughing at you.”

“He?” So Shukaku was male? That had interesting implications. (What was gender to a beast of pure chakra, anyway?) The laughing didn't surprise Sakura; Shukaku seemed confident, perhaps haughty, and she was fruitlessly bashing her head against what was probably the most difficult ninjutsu concept ever. “He could help, instead of laugh.” Sakura pointed out. “A centuries old chakra beast probably knows one or two things about how chakra works.”

Silence, and then Gaara began to shake. “No. No no. He won't…humans aren't worth helping. Useless. Weak.”

“Oh.” Sakura replied, her tone innocent. “I guess he doesn't know anything about chakra control then.”

Gaara gave her a look of confused desperation, but Sakura did her best to keep a poker face. She’d only heard Shukaku’s words through Gaara once before, but she had a feeling, an inkling, that she might be able to use that small interaction to her advantage. And first she had to get Shukaku’s attention. 

“That old lump of sand has been sealed inside Jinchuuriki for so long, I bet he doesn't even remember what a hand sign is.” She continued, looking towards Gaara with a smirk that she hoped beyond hope Shukaku could also get a glimpse of through his eyes. “He talks real big game about humanity being unable to learn, but maybe he’s just a really  _ terrible _ teacher.”

Sakura could  _ feel _ Shukaku’s chakra blast its way into Gaara’s body, and the aura of killing intent radiating off of him was enough to make her scoot back a couple of inches. But Gaara held firm, gripping at the earth beneath him to steady himself. 

“He… you shouldn't have said that.”

“Oh, so now he’s mad because I'm telling the truth.” Sakura tried her best to keep up the grin, though with the amount of adrenaline running through her she probably looked more like she was gritting her teeth. “That's too bad. All he’d have to do to prove me wrong is help me out with my ninjutsu, but if he can't do that, that's just going to prove my point.”

All at once, like a balloon popping, the energy around Gaara seemed to deflate. Gaara took gasping breaths as he regained control, and Sakura regretted, briefly, putting him through the ordeal. 

“He… he says… “ Gaara suddenly turned bright red, closing his mouth and looking away. 

“Well, what? Now you have to tell me.”

“He says you’re a crazy bitch.”

Sakura snorted. Not the reaction she'd been expecting. But not a terrible one either. 

Gaara took another breath and began to speak. 

“You think too much. Using chakra should be natural, like breathing. When you try too hard to bend it to your will, it begins to work against you. Chakra is the connection between you and the world. It shapes you, you do not shape it, you snot-nosed-” A pause. “... I'm not repeating that.”

“What, more cursing? He could come up with more original insults.” Sakura laughed. Poor Gaara, stuck as a translator between a grumpy beast of impossible power and a thirteen year old who was more than definitely in over her head. 

But it was  _ something _ , she had to admit. 

“Alright.” Sakura stood up, cracking her knuckles as she made her way back to the center of the pit. “Chakra is the connection between me and the world. Using it should be easy.” She looked back to Gaara for confirmation. “Well, I’m no Bijuu, but I'll see what I can do.”

She concentrated, focusing at first on the ground beneath her feet. She had thought Tunneling involved pushing her chakra into the earth and moving it into the shape she desired, but if Shukaku was to be believed… was chakra work more akin to making one’s energy resonate with the energy of what they were working with? And what of shinobi who could shape their chakra into such forces, summoning fireballs and waterfalls and such with a few grand hand gestures? 

There was more to it than that, Sakura wasn't stupid enough to think otherwise. But maybe, just maybe… Shukaku was starting her on something basic. 

Chakra connected herself to the world. 

That meant that she had energy and the world had energy. 

The ground beneath her feet was steadfast and strong. It would not easily move. Shukaku had said its will would shape hers, not the other way around. So, maybe she had to stop thinking like a shinobi, and start getting into the frame of mind of her technique. 

So, in her mind, she pictured the tunnel she wanted it to create. She pictured it unyielding and dense, the walls holding themselves up with enough strength that one could crawl through without fear of collapse. She imagined the feeling she got when she sensed Gaara’s earth chakra, that feeling of peace and protection. 

And without further thought, Sakura put her hands to the ground and send out her chakra.

With a small puff of dust, a hole appeared in front of her. It was only an inch deep, a fraction of what she’d imagined, but its diameter was exactly what she'd pictured, and most importantly… 

She’d done it without hand signs. 

She looked back to Gaara gleefully. “I did it.” She said simply. “I did it, I made a hole!”

“You did.” Gaara replied, a small smile on his face. “...And now Shukaku says, you need to make another one that's not so pathetic.”

Not even the insult could bring her mood down. Sakura simply stuck out her tongue in Gaara’s direction before turning back to what she now considered her best work. A small hole, not very deep, not very impressive, but it meant that it was  _ possible _ , she  _ could _ do jutsu without hand signs if she just kept practicing, just kept training.

And that was a small spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t quite as behind Sasuke and Naruto as she’d thought.

  
  


The scenery changed in a shock of green as the shifting desert sands began to slowly show signs of budding grassland. The sun didn’t shine quite so harshly in the day, and the winds that used to whip up bits of gravel into her eyes quieted down into a gentle breeze that teased at Sakura’s hair and made her want to run through the grass like a child.

By their calculations, they still had not reached the border of Land of Earth, but rather had hit a more habitable part of the Wind Country. Sakura couldn’t help but wonder why the village hadn’t been set up in a place like this, where livestock could graze and the sun wouldn’t burn their skin...but shinobi were notoriously stubborn. Probably had thought what didn’t kill them would only make them stronger. (And to their credit, they were right.) 

Sakura amused herself with the sight of hundreds of sheep being herded across the land. There were livestock in Konoha, usually cattle, and never quite so much as out here. These areas likely fed the entire country.

Sakura wondered if shinobi ever really had cause to come out this far, other than passing by on missions. Were any of the civilians chakra users? A quick pulse refuted this theory, but that didn’t mean they weren’t out there. There might be children born into the shepherd’s life, raised and grown without ever knowing they had chakra, that they could be warriors of great strength and skill. 

Never knowing war. Never knowing battle. Never knowing death or betrayal or fearing for the lives of those they held dear.

Sakura started envying shepherds after that thought. 

She should have known the peaceful days of travelling were too good to be true, that they couldn’t last forever. She was actually the one who sensed the trouble first, though she had not expected it at the time. An aptly timed sensory pulse, for the first time in days, came back with two chakra signatures far ahead of them.

“One’s earth.” Sakura confirmed to Gaara, halting them in their tracks. “The other...not sure, not one of the two I know. If they’re Suna patrols, we’ll have to avoid them. But, on the other hand, if we can get close, maybe we can figure out what the other affinity is.”

“I’ll deal with them if they become troublesome.” Gaara answered simply. Sakura didn’t want to think too much about what ‘dealing with them’ implied.

They made their way over one of the rolling grassland hills, a mild layer of fog only somewhat obscuring their eyes as they approached the two signatures. Sakura’s intent was to ask for directions, maybe see what the shinobi were up to. Play it cool, play it cool.

What Sakura wasn’t expecting was to find two men wearing headbands that definitely did  _ not _ have the Suna hourglass engraved upon the metal. Instead, she saw a single line, the top half of a circle. Not a village symbol she recognized, and judging by the slight furrow on Gaara’s face, not one that he recognized either. And while the first thing she wanted to do was ask what village they hailed from, the men were otherwise occupied by the two people in front of them: a mother and daughter. 

“You know the agreement.” One of the men, the earth user, spoke up. He was a large man, as solid-looking as the element he wielded, and needed no weapons in order to look intimidating. Sakura was sure the man could snap her in half with his fists. “She’s chakra sensitive. Hiroshi needs to train shinobi from a young age so we can start making a name for our village.”

“She’s four years old!” The mother protested. “She’s too young!” 

“I  _ said _ , you know the agreement.” The man reiterated. He reached out, grabbing the young girl by the arm and yanking her from her mother’s grasp. “She’ll be well compensated for her work. Probably better fed than in this dump of a farm anyway.”

 

Sakura could logically argue that she had no right to stick her nose in the affairs of foreign shinobi. Sakura could logically argue that even with Gaara on her side, there was no real benefit to taking out this shinobi. Their leader would still demand child soldiers, the repercussions would fall on her  _ and _ this child, and she wasn’t trained well enough in battle to guarantee that she could stand much of a chance, or even do  _ any _ good at all.

Logically, backing off and living to fight another day was the smart thing to do.

 

Well, smart moves sure as hell hadn’t gotten her here. 

 

“Gaara, I need you to do something for me.” Sakura spoke up, quiet. “I need you to watch my back and make sure I don’t die.”

“You’re going to fight them?” Gaara asked.

“Hell yeah I’m going to fight them. I have to learn how to hold my own somehow, and this is as good an excuse as any.” Notwithstanding that they would be helping a little girl and her mother. That was worth brownie points to the universe, wasn’t it? Sakura took a deep breath, steadying herself.

She had three things at her disposal: sensing jutsu, Tunneling Technique, and the basic ninja tools and techniques she had learned at the Academy.

And she needed to take down two enemy shinobi of unknown strength level with just that knowledge.

She brought her hands together, cracking her knuckles in preparation.

_ This time...I start making good on my promise. Naruto, Sasuke...this is the first step to making sure I’m on your level.  _

Another deep breath, and Sakura shouted as loud as she could.

“Hey rock for brains, put that girl down!”

The man turned to look at her, and Sakura’s last thought before the fight was that Shukaku was right.

She was a crazy bitch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is being dedicated to two people today.
> 
> First up is Yappano who just drew this awesome fanart out of the blue??? I'm still reeling over this and it's been a week. If you didn't see it in the comments, check it the hell out:  
> http://cubot.tumblr.com/post/177132410711/found-a-cool-fanfiction-this-morning-i-title-this
> 
> Next dedication is to imthepunchlord. Your lament about reaching the end of my fic today could not have been better timed. This update's for you, my dude.
> 
> I've been holding fairly well to a standard of updating weekly, so if it matters to you at all, my goal is going to be a chapter every weekend. If any of you lovely people want to chat about Naruto, or have any fanfic questions that I haven't gotten to answer, feel free to ping me at my tumblr. (sakinthra.tumblr.com) I do read every comment that's posted and you all are wonderful. Your quips give me the strength to carry on.))


	12. Two Worlds Away (Intermission Part Two)

The hot springs quietly burbled away as Jiraiya allowed himself to settle into the depths of the warm waters. There was just something fantastic about a spring after a long week of traveling, something his apprentice likely wouldn’t ever be able to appreciate until he was much older. Naruto had only come to the springs at Jiraiya’s insistence; currently the young shinobi was concentrating on a single leaf pressed between his palms. It wasn’t a surprise to the sage that the boy possessed a wind affinity; his parents had both had a wind affinity under their belts, and the boy was so bouncy and full of energy that anything  _ other _ than wind might have been a bona fide disaster. Still, at such a young age, mastering any affinity would be difficult.

Though, Jiraiya had to remind himself, Naruto  _ had _ mastered the Rasengan in one week, albeit in a way that one might have argued as cheating. But Jiraiya wasn’t going to take that victory from the kid. The fact that he had managed it at all just proved to Jiraiya that his initial thoughts had been  _ wrong _ , this kid had every bit as much potential as his father, even if his mind was much harder to focus. 

It made Jiraiya regret his absence in the boy’s life prior. 

But Jiraiya regretted many things. 

It was, regardless, the here and now that mattered the most. If he dwelled on past mistakes, he would simply continue to make future ones. He had two years now to ensure that Naruto was prepared for the paths ahead of him. Prepared for Akatsuki, prepared for  _ Sasuke _ , prepared for-

Movement caught Jiraiya’s eyes. Naruto, concentrated as he was, missed a small, white slug slowly inching towards the hot spring’s edge. Jiraiya was well used to looking out for such slugs. Constant contact with Tsunade had been a stipulation behind allowing Naruto to leave the village for training, and what use was he as an information gatherer if he had no way to contact his Hokage? It was rare, however, for a slug to come unprompted. Usually it was in response to a message of his own, and he hadn’t checked in since that small farming village about a week back…

“Lord Jiraiya, the Lady Tsunade has entrusted me with an important message.” The small slug, an extension of Katsuyu’s will, spoke softly into Jiraiya’s ear. “She wishes to inform you that Naruto’s second teammate, Sakura Haruno, has also defected to join with Sasuke under Orochimaru. She has been missing from the village for several days now.”

Jiraiya felt his heart sink into the very pit of his stomach. Briefly, he glanced at Naruto. The kid was so focused, so determined to keep his promise to that girl, to bring back the Uchiha heir and make things right again…

Much like he had been, once, regarding Orochimaru.

But even Jiraiya could not imagine where his own heart would have gone if  _ Tsunade _ had defected along with Orochimaru. Tsunade had been a rock, stability, someone he could always depend upon even if she herself did not believe it. He had thought that Sakura, perhaps, had been that to Naruto, someone he could always come home to, someone he could fight for...and for her to defect as well? 

Part of Jiraiya angered at the girl’s stupidity, but part of him understood  _ exactly _ how easily said stupidity could override all logical thought. And the more important thing now to consider was just exactly how badly Naruto was going to take it. 

“Thank you, Katsuyu.” Jiraiya murmured in reply. “Please let Tsunade know that I’ll...break it gently.” 

As the slug left, Jiraiya focused back on Naruto. How to break it...or rather, should he even break it now at all? He had the suspicion that if Naruto heard the news now, nothing would stop him from heading into Sound Country himself to hunt his teammates down and knock some sense into the both of them. Hearing this news, no matter when, no matter under what circumstances, it was just going to break Naruto’s heart.

“Look, pervy sage, I made a cut! Look, look!” Naruto suddenly began waving the leaf in Jiraiya’s direction. A small cut, going about halfway down the leaf, was visible even through the steam of the springs. “It’s halfway! I’ll get it all the way through by tonight, you better believe it!” 

Jiraiya forced himself to smile, to forget about the Sakura news for now. Naruto looked so happy with himself, he would be a monster to ruin his spirits now. “Good job, kid, if you stick to that we can start new training tomorrow.”

“Yes! New training!” Naruto pumped his fist into the air before running off, no doubt to find another leaf to practice on. The sinking feeling still writhed in Jiraiya’s stomach.

Not today but...soon, he’d have to break the news.

Soon he’d have to tell Naruto that he was the sole remnant of Team Seven. 

 

-

 

Deep in the depths of the Village Hidden in the Sound, far within the twisting and turning tunnels of Orochimaru’s hidden lairs, Sasuke Uchiha tested his sword upon several dozen thick stalks of bamboo. The blade had been a ‘gift’, a custom made weapon capable of channeling his lightning energy and dealing devastating damage to an opponent’s nervous if the blade hit true. Even without his chakra running it, the blade was stupendously sharp, and Sasuke couldn’t help but smirk as he imagined it piercing Itachi’s flesh. It was one of many such fantasies he steeped his mind in as he trained. Anything to distract him from what he’d left behind. Anything to distract him from Sakura. Anything to distract him from…

He mistepped, missing his target by inches.

“Naruto.” He cursed quietly. Always Naruto. Always one step behind. He still remembered the fearful aura that his teammate had generated at the waterfall that day. He still could feel the strength of Naruto’s Rasengan, clashing against the fury of his Chidori. Even now as he remembered that day, his Sharingan wheeled to life, spinning in anger as Sasuke made to chop at the bamboo he had missed, again and again and again…

He stopped as he heard the door behind him slowly creak open. He turned in time to see Kabuto slinking in, almost as snake-like as his master, and perhaps just as bothersome. Kabuto seemed at least somewhat hesitant to disturb Sasuke’s training, which was better than the typical arrogant attitude the shinobi postured with.

“Sasuke.” Kabuto began. “Lord Orochimaru has a mission he would like for you to perform.”

Sasuke let out a small sigh as he sheathed his sword. Technically, as he trained under Orochimaru, he should have been considered a missing-nin. But as Orochimaru was the head of the Village Hidden in Sound, that meant that Sasuke was now technically a Sound genin, and thus was subject to the same hierarchy as the one he’d left behind in Konoha. Missions were...to be expected. He needed to earn his keep, after all, and missions would help keep his techniques sharp.

“What does he want?” Sasuke demanded. Some assassination mission, perhaps, or the retrieval of an important scroll, something he could use against Itachi? Or maybe even a simple escort mission, but any sort of trip nowadays was dangerous, what with Iwagakure becoming dangerously aggressive to the north of them, and rumors of civil war brewing in Kirigakure to the east. Any chance to test his skills against another shinobi brought him a shiver of anticipation.

“Well…” Kabuto continued, now sounding even more hesitant than before. “Well, you see, the sound daimyo’s cat has gone missing, and he needs someone to retrieve it…”

There was silence in the training room, broken only by a small whistle of air making its way into the cavern. As he processed this, Sasuke found he could only make one embittered sound. 

“...hn.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is brought to you by the dumbest fucking idea I've been unable to get out of my head for the past week.))


	13. Chapter 13

“Look at this pint-sized little brat, Asahi! Why, she’s barely tall enough to reach my knee!” 

Sakura resisted the urge to respond to the shinobi’s taunts as the two men turned to face her. Perhaps it was strange, but she also had to resist the urge to quiver with fear. She had faced down  _ Gaara _ before, so why did these shinobi scare her now? She had Gaara backing her up, no less, which meant that these shinobi would barely even be a threat if she called on the Jinchuuriki to help her out.

But maybe it was because she didn’t  _ want _ Gaara’s help, she didn’t want anyone’s help taking down these bullies, because she’d relied on others for long enough. This was going to be her first true solo mission, and perhaps  _ that _ was what really scared her. She had to treat this like a life or death mission. No redos, no Gaara to back her up, no room for failure. She had to get these shinobi away from that child and make sure they didn’t have a reason to come back. 

Confidence. It was all about the confidence. Tsunade could frighten with just a single glare, so why couldn’t she?

“You heard me.” She retorted, straightening her back and attempting, maybe, to seem a little bit taller. “I said, put her down, or I’ll show you what a real shinobi is capable of.”

“A real shinobi?” The other man, Asahi, burst into laughter. Great. Intimidation: failure. “What village raised a little punk like you, huh? Why don’t you come down off your high horse and take a look at what you’re dealing with.”

“Yeah, we’re hot-blooded shinobi of the Plains!” The first man gestured boldly, dropping the girl just so he could pump a fist against his chest. “If you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, maybe we’ll let you live this once.”

Plains? Sakura briefly look backed to Gaara, who looked equally confused. “There’s no Plains shinobi!” She countered. “Sunagakure controls this territory.”

“Sunagakure doesn’t even know what they have out here! Hiroshi claimed this land years ago, and the foolish Kazekage hasn’t even realized it yet. Those dumb brats never leave that silly little hole of theirs, which just means us real shinobi get access to all the fine pickings!”

A new shinobi village, huh? If Suna didn’t know about this already, they’d probably pay a fortune for such information alone. It was too bad she’d pretty much turned Suna against her by taking Gaara along, otherwise she’d have quite the bargaining chip.

“Alright. So you’re Plains.” Sakura agreed. “That still doesn’t give you the right to bully children away from their mothers. Like I said before, leave her be or I’ll take you on myself, no matter what kind of shinobi you think you are.” 

“Whine, whine, whine.” Asahi rolled his eyes. “I’m getting tired of listening to you talk. You had your chance to step down, so don’t say we didn’t warn you when we send you to the other side.” 

The man cracked his knuckles, and Sakura knew instantly that he was preparing to fight. And more importantly, she needed to move quickly if she wanted to get any sort of upper hand at all.

As the man moved to step forward, Sakura thrust her hands down towards the ground, focusing on the sensation of ‘earth’ that she had been working on over the past week. She didn’t need a full tunnel; just a hole would do. She had to predict the location at which the man’s foot would fall, and the approximate size of his foot...and then just add depth.

The ground beneath Asahi’s foot sunk down about two inches. Not far, but just far enough that the man misstepped, tripping and falling flat onto his face. 

Sakura grinned. So there was a use to her making potholes after all.

“Ow, son of a bitch!”

“Walk much, Asahi? Come on, you look like shit on the ground there.” The other man laughed boisterously at his fallen comrade. “Gonna let a little girl show you up?”

“ _ Fuck _ no!” The man leapt to his feet, then went through a series of hand signs. Sakura managed to pick up only the final one ( _ tiger _ ) before rocks began to pull themselves up from the ground and mold themselves around Asahi’s hands, eventually forming what looked to be large rock gauntlets.

She needed to learn that move, Sakura decided. That move was  _ cool _ , and she had about five seconds before that move would be trying to bash her head in. She needed a way to knock this guy out, and she doubted making small holes would continue to do the trick-

Asahi moved, almost too fast for her eyes to register, and there was a clash of sand and rock as a wall appeared in front of her. Sakura let herself take a breath. Gaara had just saved her life.

But that had been a  _ failure _ , damn it all. She didn’t have time to think in combat. She needed to move  _ now _ .

Gaara’s sand had seemed to rise up from the earth, like a Mud Wall technique. Sakura didn’t know the Mud Wall, but she did know something about the Tunneling technique: upon refilling the hole the technique created, earth rapidly filled in from one end to the other, with enough force to push out anything that had been left in the hole. If she could harness that force, use it to her advantage…

Sakura had an idea. It was about as crazy as challenging these men had been, and she hated having to potentially rely on Gaara to cover her if this proved a mistake. But this man moved so quickly, and obviously she couldn’t best  _ rock fists _ in hand to hand combat.

So Sakura backed up, putting some distance between herself and the man. He’d been startled enough by Gaara’s interference, which gave her precious seconds. He’d come for her again, likely just as direct a path towards her as before. Once again, she had to predict where he would run and when he would reach a certain spot.

She focused on the spot, praying her calculations were good enough, before focusing her mind to picture something she’d never quite thought of picturing before.

She pictured an imaginary tunnel forming upwards from the spot she’d chosen. It wasn’t very thick, wasn’t very wide, but it was taller than the man’s height, a good seven feet. And then, as Sakura quickly began her hand signs, Sakura pictured herself not making the tunnel, but  _ filling _ it. 

She felt her chakra rush from her towards the ground, and her eyes widen as she saw the earth at that very spot begin to swell and shoot upward...stopping about four feet short of her seven foot goal, but the three foot pillar was, unfortunately for Asahi, about the same height as his nether region. Asahi’s dash forward put him right in the path of the pillar, and Sakura winced as the man crashed into it, folding in half with a cry of agony. 

Alright, so her Reverse Tunneling Technique wasn’t exactly how she’d pictured it but...well, she couldn’t deny the results. 

Score one point for Sakura.

“For fuck’s  _ sake _ , Asahi.” The other man rolled his eyes as he watched his companion writhe on the ground. “She’s like, ten years old.”

“I don’t care how old she is, Touma,  _ kick her ass _ .” Asahi replied with a pained growl. 

Sakura braced herself, ready to dodge as she faced down the second man. Asahi would be down for a while, she hoped; groin shots were notoriously painful. That meant she could keep her focus on the new guy.

Touma put together four quick hand signals and Sakura saw his mouth seem to fill, his cheeks expanding. In quick succession, the man began to fire bullets of water directly at her.

First thought: so that was probably a  _ water _ chakra she’d sensed on the man earlier, and though she didn’t want to waste her chakra confirming this on the bullets being shot her way, she could probably reasonably assume that the nature was water, which meant that now she only had lightning and fire left that she had to learn to distinguish.

Second thought: these were a  _ pain _ to dodge.

Admittedly, all of the running and training she’d done in the past weeks had been enough to quicken her stride somewhat. She ran in a large circle around Touma to dodge, keeping just at the edge of the man’s aim. So far, Gaara’s sand hadn’t come up to defend her, which meant she was dodging this  _ all on her own _ which was a step further in becoming stronger. But she couldn’t dodge forever, she had to  _ think _ . 

This Touma had seen her use her Reverse Tunneling and was now trying to keep her on her toes. She needed to stop and touch the ground in order to use that jutsu, and the instant she did, the water bullets would be on her. Plus, the surrounding terrain was just hills and plains, nowhere for her to hide behind for any sort of cover. That was what she needed, she realized,  _ cover _ , and since she didn’t know the Mud Wall technique or anything similar, she was a sitting duck the instant she tried to slow down. 

There was no way for her to spontaneously learn a cover jutsu in the heat of battle, and Sakura came to the unfortunate conclusion that in any other case, she’d be out of luck. She could hope to move to the offensive, hope to be good enough to dodge the water bullets long enough to get in close with a kunai...and then she didn’t know what  _ other _ abilities the shinobi might have for close range combat. And she would have to do this all quickly, before the first shinobi recovered from the groin shot.

Sakura just couldn’t  _ do _ that on her own. She wasn’t good enough yet. And maybe, at this point in time, there was no harm in admitting that to herself. After all, she  _ wasn’t _ alone, like she’d expected to be.

She had Gaara. And that meant, by the luck of it all, that she  _ would _ have cover if she asked.

Konoha shinobi were prided for their teamwork, right? There was no harm in relying on someone else to cover your back where you were weak. And this would only be until Sakura was strong enough to handle such situations on her own.

Sakura made her way to Gaara’s side, taking a deep breath of relief as his sand shot up automatically to protect them. “Sorry.” She wheezed. “I’m just...not good enough to dodge those forever.”

“You’re apologizing?” Gaara asked. “It’s not as though you didn’t ask for me to watch your back.”

“That’s fair.” Sakura acknowledged. “But I had hoped I’d be able to take these guys on my own.”

“...you got one of them.” Gaara nodded in the direction of the first shinobi, still on the ground. In the distance, the second was still firing water bullets in a constant stream, no doubt attempting to test the limits of Gaara’s defense. Sakura was once again baffled by the sheer strength of Gaara’s sand barriers. She’d seen Sasuke’s Chidori best it once, but other than that, was  _ anything _ capable? 

Sakura’s first thought was that  _ she _ needed a defense that good. But then again, she already  _ had _ something that good. Sasuke and Naruto had both left her behind, her old  _ teammates _ , but Gaara…

Gaara had  _ chosen _ to follow her.

Gaara was her teammate now.

And teammates worked together. 

She’d tested her strength. She’d done fairly well for a first battle. But now it was time to see what the two of them  _ together _ could do.

“Gaara, let’s take this clown down.” Sakura spoke with resolve, turning her focus back to the water shinobi. He’d stopped the bullets, for now, and was rapidly performing hand signs, no doubt for a far stronger jutsu. He’d be distracted, if only for a moment, not thinking about the area around him so long as he thought Sakura was hiding behind Gaara’s sand. And that was a  _ good _ situation for her to be in. “I want you to put up your strongest barrier for him. And whatever you do, don’t let him see what I’m about to do.”

Gaara seemed curious, but did as she said. He raised a hand, and a thick wall of sand erupted from the ground in front of them. And damn it all, it was obstructing  _ her _ view too, but…

But she didn’t need to  _ see _ the shinobi, he was building up so much chakra for that water attack that Sakura was certain she could just  _ sense _ him. A couple of hand signs later and her senses pulsed out. Chakra, water chakra, was building, and whatever this attack was would be  _ huge _ . Earth was strong against water, however, and Sakura trusted Gaara’s sand would hold. She just had to move quickly while she had an opening. But what could she do? 

Three things at her disposal. Sensing, Tunneling, and shinobi tools.

A smirk grew across Sakura’s face.

With some more signs, she thrust her hands to the ground and created a tunnel, making the exit appear mere inches behind the water shinobi. 

The next step relied on two assumptions.

One, whenever she filled a tunnel, earth poured in from her position, quickly filling the tunnel from one end to the other,  _ not _ filling the tunnel all at once. The first half of the jutsu dug the tunnel, the second half refilled, both following similar motions.

Two, if there was anything  _ in  _ the tunnel when she filled it, logic dictated that the rapidly filling earth would push anything inside out through the exit hole. (And considering the rate at which the tunnel filled, Sakura could assume said object would be pushed out with a decent amount of force.

So Sakura turned to Gaara for help with her next step. “I need a small ball of sand, quick!”

Now perhaps even more confused, Gaara obliged, holding out a packed ball for Sakura to grab. Sakura took it and reached inside her own pouch for a small slip of paper before putting it onto the ball.

A timed paper bomb. 

She activated the bomb before tossing it into the tunnel she had just created. Then, in a quick motion, Sakura filled her tunnel. 

There was one second of heart-wrenching silence. Then, several things happened at once.

The first was that the water shinobi’s jutsu hit Gaara’s wall with incredible force. The ground shook around them as the two powers collided, but Gaara’s wall inevitably proved the victor, standing completely firm against whatever it was the shinobi had sent out.

Then, immediately after the ground had settled, it shook once more as Sakura heard an explosion, the sign that her paper bomb had gone off.

The sand wall in front of them slowly faded away back into the earth, and Sakura looked upon the now scorched area beyond them. She saw small flames licking at the grass, and a charred circle around where her exit hole had once been. Lying on the ground, blackened from flames and the sheer force of the bomb, was the body of the water shinobi.

Sakura’s heart stopped for a brief moment as she realized she’d  _ killed _ him.

(And it was her first kill, the first time any of her skills had been enough to match another, let alone best them, she wasn’t even sure that _Naruto_ _or Sasuke_ had a kill count yet, and suddenly here she was with that tally mark up to ‘one’.) 

The other shinobi looked on with horror at the scorched area next to him, and though he still looked pained from his injury, he began to crawl away. Without even thinking, Sakura spoke to Gaara.

“S-stop him from leaving.”

And Gaara did, his sand reaching out to entwine around the shinobi’s legs and hold him in place. To his credit, he did not use much more force than that. How funny, Sakura thought, that the famed killer showed such restraint now, and she, no doubt considered the weakest of Team Seven, had just killed with more ease than she’d thought possible. A single  _ paper bomb _ .

“Sakura?”

Sakura forced herself back into reality. Gaara seemed...was he  _ worried _ ? Seeing that look on his face was perhaps one of the worst things she’d ever seen. Only when Shukaku reared his power did calm, collected Gaara ever show much emotion, but now...now she could see the worry lines on his face. No, she couldn’t fall apart in front of him. She couldn’t fall apart  _ here _ . There was still an enemy, and she had one thing left to do.

She walked to the earth shinobi’s side, kneeling down so that she could look him in the eyes. “Alright.” She spoke, pulling back the tremor she knew wanted to sneak into her voice. “This boss of yours, Hiroshi. You’re going to tell him to stop harassing  _ children _ into being his soldiers. You tell him this stops now, or he’s going to be next. You got that?”

“Y-yeah, yeah, I got it, I got it!” The shinobi insisted. He was  _ afraid _ of her, Sakura realized. “Please, just don’t kill me!”

No…she wasn’t a killer, she told herself (only she  _ was _ now), and there was no point in causing more death today. She gestured to Gaara, who pulled back his sand without another word. The shinobi didn’t need prompting. He pulled himself to his feet and began a sort of crippled run, looking back only twice before being convinced that Sakura would not pursue him further. 

  
  
  


The young girl, Hatsuko, was enamored of the ‘lovely lady’ that had saved her from the ‘bad shinobi’. Her mother, Kozue, was (perhaps rightly so) a bit more wary of the woman who’d taken out an enemy so quickly, but was also more gracious than fearful, insisting that Sakura and Gaara both come stay at her home for their trouble, and have dinner with them,  _ naturally _ . Sakura couldn’t help but think the arrangement was for further benefit to the small family; if anyone else tried to come and take Hatsuko, Sakura would of course be obligated to protect her again. But Sakura wasn’t going to be stupid enough to turn down warm food and a roof over her head, not after so long camping in the desert.

“Hiroshi is a bully, of course. I’m sure someone like you has seen it a million times before.” Kozue explained as she fussed over a small stew pot. Her house was on a quaint farmland; it was not always so, but at the moment it was just her and her daughter. “My husband and my eldest two have already been recruited into his new army. At some point he hopes to challenge Suna for rights to the land and rights to call this place a new shinobi village. With the current Kazekage dead…”

“There won’t be much to stand in his way.” Sakura deduced, looking over to Gaara with a frown. Gaara was the Kazekage’s son, and no doubt he knew better than anyone how ill equipped the recovering Sunagakure was to deal with such a menace. Their quick war with Konoha had thinned their ranks and left them without a leader. Now, with Gaara gone as well, Suna had little hope of putting up an adequate fight against a growing shinobi army. 

“I do appreciate what you’ve done, but it’s only a matter of time before they come for Hatsuko again. And you will not be able to stand against them all.” Kozue continued. “I’ll provide for you, for your kindness, but if you wish to live, you’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

It was sound advice. Sakura was still trembling over the fact that she’d managed to kill a shinobi at all, how could she possibly hope to fair against an army? Even if she’d wanted to stay and help these people, even if a part of her wanted to go against Hiroshi...she and Gaara were only two. That wasn’t nearly enough, and she  _ definitely _ wasn’t strong enough. She was just...passing by. 

 

When night finally fell, Gaara wasn’t the only one with insomnia.

 

Every time Sakura closed her eyes, she saw the charred body, over and over again. She’d seen death before, hell she’d seen  _ worse  _ than death before during the chuunin exams, but someone just the knowledge that she had caused it made it that much more difficult for her mind to process. So she made her way to the roof outside, hoping the fresh air would clear her head. Gaara, of course, was there, keeping a vigilant watch on the surrounding plains.

It was quiet, so quiet, so peaceful…

And in the distance, it was still there, that charred spot.

Sakura allowed herself to cry. She’d earned it, damn it all. It shouldn’t be easy to take a life at  _ all _ , it shouldn’t ever get easier, even if a shinobi was supposed to bury their emotions. Those two shinobi had been comrades of a sort, and she’d  _ killed _ one of them. Did the survivor feel remorse? Guilt? Were they spending the night mourning their comrade? Had the water shinobi had a family somewhere too, someone who would miss him? 

She flinched as she felt a sudden hand on her shoulder. Gaara had moved next to her, eerily quiet as always, but the fact that he was here to comfort her was...well,  _ comforting _ . 

“I think sometimes I hate being a shinobi.” She admitted, reaching up to wipe her eyes. “But if I can’t kill one stranger, how can I possibly hope to protect my friends? Akatsuki, Orochimaru...they’ll do worse than kill them. I shouldn’t even think to hesitate at all.”

“That’s how I used to think.” Gaara replied. “Then Naruto knocked some sense into me.”

Sakura blinked as she looked over to Gaara. Was he...was he making a  _ joke _ ?

She couldn’t help it. She burst into laughter, ripples of it making their way through her body as she collapsed into a giggling heap. 

“ _ Knocked _ it into you alright.” She wheezed. “Gaara, holy  _ shit _ .”

Gaara just smiled. 

And damn it all, he was right once again. What was it she had told him on their first night out? He didn’t have to kill. There was another way. And that also meant that  _ she _ didn’t have to kill if she could find another way. Maybe Akatsuki and Orochimaru wouldn’t give her a choice. Maybe her hand would be forced. But if she could find a better way, shouldn’t she? Shinobi had always followed a path of war, death, and destruction, and if things were ever going to change, it needed to start somewhere. 

It could start with her and him. It could start here and now.

“Gaara.” Sakura decided. “I want to do something really stupid.”

“Yes?”

“I want to take this Hiroshi down a couple pegs.”

“Where do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to the new Shinobi Striker game that's taken over my life and distracted me from writing this.
> 
> Also to ParodiaTheSilent for proper meme application in their commentary.))


	14. Chapter 14

_ You could just kill her now and not have to deal with any of this…  _

 

Gaara had heard the voice of Shukaku in his head since he could remember. Gaara had been  _ listening _ to the voice of Shukaku since he was barely a child. Now that he had made the active decision to  _ ignore _ the voice of the beast in his mind, Shukaku had become more difficult to manage than ever before. It was as if the beast had taken personal offense to Gaara’s purposeful ignorance, which… well, was probably true, but Gaara didn't exactly feel sorry for him. 

It was precisely because he'd chosen to ignore Shukaku that he’d ended up in this situation, yes, but right now Gaara wouldn't have changed that for anything. Even though he was about to sneak into a heavily guarded fortress alone, something that would have given most shinobi pause, Gaara had no regrets or hesitations. 

He was doing it for Sakura. He was doing it for his  _ friend _ . 

The current problems they faced, Sakura had summed up succinctly, were several things. One was that they were only two people, and they had no idea how big an army Hiroshi had gathered up. Two, they knew nothing about Hiroshi himself, other than that he had to be strong in order to wrangle the entire northern strip of the Wind Country under his control. Three, Sakura was nowhere near skilled enough to keep up with Gaara yet. (Which Gaara was beginning to find a debatable point, but Sakura wouldn't listen to his reasoning on that matter, so he'd let the issue drop.) 

Two of these problems could be approached with a simple reconnaissance mission. The choice to send Gaara alone had been an obvious one, though one Sakura had fought bitterly against at first. He was quiet, he had access to spying skills that most would not anticipate, and he had his natural sand defense in case of an emergency. Whomever this Hiroshi was, he would not be expecting a Jinchuuriki to challenge him, and keeping that element of surprise was vital to overcoming him. 

So, Gaara would go to the fortress, and Sakura would go to the growing town that had sprung up around the fortress, looking for any sort of dissenters that might aid them in a (hopefully) quick coup. Sakura’s current goal was minimizing the loss of life. 

_ Admirable, but stupid. The easiest way to solve this would be to kill the entire fortress army outright. If you’re not going to kill the girl, at least kill  _ them _.  _

Gaara feared they wouldn't have a choice in the matter unless Sakura could get enough people to their cause. They were two genin shinobi who were attempting to start a revolution. The odds were slim at best. As Sakura had put it, it was a really stupid idea, with far too many things capable of going wrong. 

But the weird thing was, Gaara was starting to like these stupid ideas of hers. He hadn't felt this  _ alive _ since… 

Well. 

Regardless, doing this sort of thing on a whim was kind of… Fun. No iron-willed Kazekage to send him on mission after mission, no distrusting siblings to reign him in. He could just do what he wanted, when he wanted. 

_ And now that you can, of  _ course _ you start to develop a conscience.  _

Ah, maybe that was why Shukaku was angry. Gaara finally had a taste of freedom and he  _ wasn't  _ killing everything that moved. But Gaara doubted he would have even come along with Sakura if not for his new “conscience” anyhow, so it was a mute point. 

_ You think too much. When the hell are you going to break inside this damn fortress, Gaara?  _

When the night had fallen and the moon had risen into the sky, Gaara thought in turn. Espionage didn't work best in daylight, and he had plenty of time before Sakura’s assigned rendezvous. Plus, hearing Shukaku so annoyed at his lack of action was beginning to get somewhat amusing. 

_ Ah, fuck you, brat.  _

Gaara smiled. 

It was getting easier to smile, he realized. Sakura smiled so often it was beginning to feel contagious. For her, smiling seemed as natural as breathing. Gaara still had to focus to get the motion to work out just right, but Sakura always seemed to smile just a little bit bigger whenever he did, so he must have been doing something correctly. 

_ Ah shit, now you're getting sappy on me. If I ever see that Naruto kid again, I'm gonna kill him for making me listen to this.  _

Naruto… 

Sakura had mentioned the boy was out traveling with his mentor. If Gaara had any goal for this trip, it was to see him again, to show Naruto how much he'd changed. To show Naruto his new smile. 

Gaara ignored the retching sounds Shukaku had started making at those thoughts and settled into his newly acquired seat. The top of the fortress was made up of flat roofs and towers, which were easy enough for guards to keep watch over. Gaara had simply taken one of the towers for himself. The guard had just come in for his shift when Gaara moved to knock him unconscious. 

He… hadn't exactly been delicate. Gaara was fairly certain he hadn't cracked the man’s skull, but if he had, well… 

He just wouldn't mention it to Sakura. 

He'd pulled on some of the guard’s armor, in case anyone glanced his way, and had settled into keeping a watch on the area around him. Keeping watch was easy. Since he'd never been able to sleep, that was usually what he'd spent his nights doing anyway. Gaara had mastered a form of awake meditation of sorts, allowing his mind to go blank while letting his senses naturally pick up on anything that might be considered a threat. The closest he'd ever gotten to true sleep. 

It was as quiet as a fortress could get. He heard occasional voices and shouts, but nothing out of the ordinary. As far as he could tell, Hiroshi had not yet returned to the fortress, which was even more reason to wait until nightfall. He needed to observe Hiroshi himself, not just the fortress and its defenses. 

Gaara took a deep breath and allowed his mind to go blank. 

The silence went on and on, the movement below not aberrant enough to draw his eye, until all at once Shukaku spoke again. 

_ You’re serious about this, aren't you, brat? Friendship with that girl.   _

Of course he was, Gaara allowed himself to think. Sakura had said it herself. They were friends. Nothing more to it. 

_ There’s everything more to it. She could be manipulating you into helping her. She clearly needs the protection, and who better than us? She wouldn't last a day out here on her own, but with you…  _

Gaara grew angry before he could process the emotion. Shukaku was just goading him, yes, but Gaara had long grown tired of the beast’s cynicism. He opened his eyes, about to think  _ very _ loudly just what he thought of Shukaku’s comments… 

But he wasn't at the fortress. 

The area around him was dark and fogged. Black sand packed the ground beneath his feet, and there was a distant sound of wind and… 

Bells? 

Gaara looked around, somewhat panicked now. Had he been moved somewhere by some jutsu? Impossible, he thought, there was no way anyone could have overtaken him so easily, especially not with his protective sands around. But this  _ wasn't  _ the tower, he had to admit that, which meant something had hap-

“ **Behind you, brat.”**

Gaara spun around, and for the first time in his life fully took in the sight of Shukaku. 

The beast was giant, far larger than any building he had seen in his life. He could make out a smaller head atop a body that was best described as rotund, composed of thick sand that seemed to shift and move with a mind of its own, regardless of the beast’s actual movements. Behind the body, Gaara saw a single, massive tail, the indicative part that named Shukaku as the Ichibi, the One-Tailed Beast. 

And it was chained up, Gaara noted. (To his relief). Restrained by loose black chains that seemed to stretch into the foggy void around them. 

“ **If not for these, I’d have broken free long ago.** ” Shukaku explained, its voice deep, echoing against Gaara’s body. “ **But it is still a weak seal. Your predecessors were certainly no Uzumaki.** ”

Uzumaki… wasn't that  _ Naruto’s  _ last name? “What do you mean by that?” Gaara demanded. “What do the Uzumaki have to do with you?”

“ **Nothing, fortunately for me. If they'd sealed me up, I wouldn't ever have a chance at freedom. But with these pathetic chains… soon enough.** ” Shukaku’s face twisted into what looked like a grin, and Gaara found himself  _ very _ afraid. Was this what others saw when they looked at him? Was this what he unleashed when he allowed Shukaku’s influence to run rampant? 

Suddenly his childhood made a bit more sense. 

But Gaara steeled himself, as he remembered something Sakura had asked him during their time at Suna. Could he communicate with the beast? He’d been able to before, but never like this, not face to face. Something had changed. 

Something about his meditation today had given him some sort of telepathy, and as terrified as he felt… wouldn’t it be a waste not to use this opportunity? 

So Gaara sat down, cross-legged in front of the beast, and decided it was time to have a talk. (He’d felt safe enough in that guard tower, and if anyone did approach him, his sands would keep him safe.) 

“Why were you sealed away to begin with? Have you always hated humans?”

“ **Humans? Always.** ” Shukaku seemed to hiss at the mere mention of humans. “ **Always greedy, always selfish, always fighting, always killing. A worthless, useless species only good for war.** **They sealed me away because they envied my power. I had lived in peace for generations before your ancestors grew so power hungry!** ”

Gaara could scarcely believe that claim. Shukaku, living in peace? That was as likely as the villages uniting together. Shukaku wasn't peaceful, he was a killer too. 

But, perhaps… 

“Violence… begets violence?”

“ **There's no other way to communicate to you people. No logic or reason that will hold back humanity’s desire to dominate all life. It is bred into your bones. There will only be peace once your kind lies dead.** ” Shukaku suddenly leaned back, rolling until head rested against the sandy floor. The chains did not restrain him much, Gaara noted, if he could move so freely. “ **I admit, it’s become a bit of a game. How long can their pitiful seals last before I finally break free? How long will my new host last before he sees the truth of the world? You broke rather easily, brat, but now you insist on putting yourself back together.** ”

Gaara looked away, for the first time feeling shame at Shukaku’s accusation. He’d been… A monster, yes. But he’d changed… and shouldn't Shukaku want that? 

“I've changed.” He replied. “So… shouldn't humanity be able to change as well? If I can put myself together, then we can work on each other, piece by piece. We can stop the killing.”

“ **And I’m a monkey’s uncle.** ” Shukaku spat onto the ground, causing the sands to writhe and shift temporarily. “ **There's always someone like you and her. People who want to change things. They die like everyone else.** ”

Everyone...else?

“You speak as though you have regrets.”

Shukaku was unusually silent, and Gaara felt as though he’d hit some sort of nail on the head. He had to admit to his own curiosity; what sort of regrets would,  _ could _ this murderous monster carry? 

Gaara blinked, and he was back in the guard tower, alone. He couldn’t help but frown at the realization that, wherever he’d been (and however), he’d been ‘kicked out’. 

And Shukaku called  _ him _ the brat.

It wasn’t a bad thing to have regrets, Gaara was coming to realize. Regret allowed one to understand one’s one failures and move forward from them. Gaara had not felt regret before recently, but now...far more. Regret for those he had killed so heartlessly. Regret for the life he had wasted until now. But this regret had brought him here. This regret, this knowledge, it all had changed him. That was worth holding onto, no matter what Shukaku whispered in his ear.

He didn’t have to be a killer. And he wouldn’t be, not anymore.

Gaara stole a glance back at the guard he’d knocked out. 

...he was pretty sure the guard was still breathing.

About an hour later, he caught a glimpse of a small group making their way to the fortress, and at the head of said group was the man who had to be Hiroshi. Gaara naturally couldn’t get a proper glimpse from so far away...but he had his tricks for that. 

He focused his chakra, reaching for his eye and connecting the signals of his optic nerve to the chakra that naturally flowed through his sand. The sand coalesced to form a small eye, and with further concentration, his vision connected. Seeing through his sand had always been a useful trick, and now he could use it to his advantage. Nobody would be looking out for a small ball of sand following them around.

The sand-eye floated down to the base of the fortress, subtly weaving in between the legs of the walking men. From here, he had full view of Hiroshi and his subordinates, but unfortunately no sound. (Gaara briefly considered trying to invent a ‘sand-ear’ jutsu, but obviously now wasn’t the time to waste doing so.) There was a lot that could be gained with just vision regardless. As his eye followed Hiroshi into the fortress, he was getting a prime view of not only what the fortress looked like from within, but how well guarded it was,  _ and _ the rooms where Hiroshi spent the most time in.

Gaara heard a small groan from behind him. With his unconnected eye, he squinted behind him. Ah...the guard was alive after all. ...and now he had to knock him out again.

For perhaps the first time in years, Gaara felt pity for the man as he hit him again with his sand. Getting knocked out twice wouldn’t feel good later. 

He refocused his vision to his sand-eye, and from there, it was just a matter of waiting and following. Hiroshi seemed...angry about something. As Gaara looked around, he caught sight of a familiar face. That was the shinobi Sakura had fought earlier, the one that she’d let live. The man looked terrified as Hiroshi berated him, no doubt over the loss of the other shinobi Sakura had faced. Bored, Gaara allowed himself to start taking in the faces of the other men and women in the room, as well as what weapons they were carrying. Standard gear, by the look of things, nothing too strange, which meant likely nothing he and Sakura couldn’t handle. Plus, if Sakura managed to turn some of the shinobi to their side, even easi-

Gaara froze as his eye landed on Hiroshi yet again. The man had turned his anger onto the surviving shinobi, and in his rage was demonstrating a jutsu that gave Gaara pause. The man was lifting a kunai into the air without lifting a finger.

Was he doing so with his chakra alone? Even considering that made Gaara hesitate. Kankuro lifted puppets with chakra strings, but those were still somewhat visible if you knew where to look. Gaara didn’t see anything attached to the kunai, which meant either the man was telepathic, or…

Well, there was another option. The Magnet Release technique. But that technique had been unique to very,  _ very _ few members of Sunagakure, his father being one of them. Magnet Release was a kekkei genkai, something you had to be born with the ability to use. But Gaara didn’t know of any other technique that could simply cause metal weapons to lift themselves in such a deliberate manner, especially not a technique that could-

Hiroshi’s kunai suddenly flew forward, embedding itself into the forehead of the quivering shinob. Gaara didn’t so much as flinch; death, he was used to, though he felt pity once again for the shinobi who’d gotten put into such a situation simply because Sakura’s conscience had gotten in his way. What was more troubling was the realization that Hiroshi had access to a such a unique skill. 

Gaara disconnected himself from his sand-eye, dispersing the chakra and focusing back on his current position. He had a visual blueprint of the fortress, and he had the new knowledge regarding Hiroshi. Knowledge that was...worrying.

His father had perfected the Magnet Release technique in order to restrain Shukaku whenever he had gotten out of hand. If Gaara went up against someone else who wielded that technique...well, his father had also specifically had to use gold in order to counter Gaara’s sand, but who knew what other tricks Hiroshi had up his sleeve? If they were to approach this man out of haste, it could end badly.

_ Pathetic. That fool of a Kazekage only managed to restrain me because you were weak.  _

Ah, Shukaku was back to talking again. How unfortunate. 

_ Feh. If you let me loose, that ant of a man wouldn’t be any trouble for you and your precious  _ Sakura _.  _

Gaara quieted his thoughts as he slowly made his way down from the fortress. Speaking of Sakura, he needed to report. And he  _ definitely _ didn’t have any plans to let Shukaku free anytime soon. If this Hiroshi could wield Magnet Release with any degree of skill, they’d just have to find a way around it. Perhaps Sakura could think of something. She’d certainly been creative enough with her bombs before. 

_ So now you’re letting the girl fight for you too, huh? How soft have you gotten, brat? _

Gaara clenched a fist as he ran towards the rendezvous. He wasn’t soft. Not for this. He’d show Shukaku. He’d show everyone back home how he’d changed. One day, he’d even be able to-

_ Oh for fuck’s sake, if you don’t stop that sappy crap, I’m going to have a hernia.  _

Gaara smiled, an idea suddenly forming in his mind. 

Shukaku thought he was sappy  _ now _ ? He was just getting started. He could allow himself to linger on Naruto and his lessons of fr-

_ OH COME  _ ON _! _

Or...he could stop thinking about the sappy stuff. But that would be contingent on one thing. That would be contingent on Shukaku being a bit more forthcoming about lending a hand to himself and Sakura. That would be contingent on cooperation.

_...I changed my mind. Clearly you’re still as cold-hearted as before.  _

For the first time in longer than he could remember, Gaara felt the urge to laugh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is brought to you by sand. Course, rough, irritating. And it gets everywhere.))


	15. Chapter 15

Sakura needed time to think.

Well, if she was going to be picky, she needed about double the number of people, triple the amount of prep hours, and maybe quadruple the amount of paper bombs. If she had  _ that _ , taking down the fortress would be easy, no matter how tough Hiroshi or his shinob were. 

What Sakura did have, and this was mostly tentatively, was about thirty shinobi who were willing to turn against Hiroshi. There were about triple that number who wouldn’t interfere, but didn’t want to risk getting involved, on the chance of failure. The ones willing to help her had also been willing to share their tools, but what they had was meager. It was clearly a ‘village’ that hadn’t had long to build up, and due to its remote location, that made it harder to gain supplies to begin with. 

There was a small part of her that considered sending some sort of message to Sunagakure about the state of affairs at their northern borders, but that would tip off the village to her and Gaara’s location, which spelled nothing but disaster for the two of them. It wasn’t just herself she had to look out for now, but Gaara as well, who’d felt so little for his home village that he hadn’t thought twice about leaving it. She couldn’t bear to see him dragged back. And, obviously, she wasn’t exactly keen on Suna murdering her for running off with their Jinchuuriki. Konoha was out too; they were Suna’s allies, but she was on the run from  _ them _ too, and Sakura couldn’t help but wonder sometimes if, for this exact reason, it would have been better if she hadn’t started this journey to begin with.

She was afraid of Hiroshi. When Gaara had mentioned that the shinobi had used a kekkei genkai, she immediately felt her heart freeze inside her chest. When she thought of kekkei genkai, she thought of shinobi like Sasuke, with his Sharingan. She thought of Haku from the Land of Waves, of his unbreakable ice mirrors and imperceptible speed. She thought of the Byakugan and Neji Hyuuga, and how it looked as though he might kill Naruto in the chuunin exams before Naruto had suddenly summoned up…

(Well, it had been energy from the Nine-Tailed Fox, now that Sakura had thought about it, though it hadn’t crossed her mind at the time.)

Regardless, Naruto had only just managed to beat Neji, Haku had beaten her team near to death, and Sasuke, of course, was on an entirely different level than anyone she knew. So even just the thought of a kekkei genkai was enough to make her shiver. It did help that Gaara seemed to have some familiarity with the mechanics of the Magnet Release, but even so, this was going to be an opponent that she wasn’t sure Gaara and her could take on her own, even if the shinobi aiding her managed to distract all of Hiroshi’s bodyguards in the fortress. 

But Sakura had something that few shinobi had when pitted up against a formidable foe, and that was time to plan. Her improvised jutsu and attacks against Hiroshi’s minions had worked surprisingly better than she’d hoped, so Sakura hoped to be able to keep that creative energy flowing and come up with some ideas that no shinobi would be able to see coming. 

So Sakura thought, and using the map of the fortress Gaara had drawn up for her (and the intel on the shinobi that he had seen inside), Sakura began to  _ plan _ , because damn it all, her mind was her best quality and she was going to  _ use _ it. 

Unless some of those inside the fortress had a change of heart, there were going to be about fifty enemies between her and Hiroshi. That was almost two against one, which weren’t good odds to begin with. Even if Sakura could find a way to thin the herd prior, or get more shinobi on her side, even  _ one on one _ odds weren’t particularly great, especially since Sakura was fairly certain that Hiroshi would want to keep the strongest shinobi he had close to him. 

There was only one smart approach to dealing with this fortress, and that was a stealth approach, in the hope that they could thin the enemy numbers before it escalated into an all out brawl.

Sakura had the thought enter her mind that Gaara was probably capable of doing this himself. He’d snuck into the fortress without being spotted at  _ all _ , but he’d had to knock a guard unconscious to do it, which mean the enemy knew they were capable of breaching the defenses and had likely upped security as a result. But even  _ with _ upped defenses, Gaara was a one man killing machine with nigh unbreakable defensive skills. 

But...allowing Gaara to go on a killing spree was exactly what Sakura could no longer bring herself to do. Gaara didn’t  _ want _ to be a killer, and letting him go into the fortress and take it down by sheer brute strength would be proving Shukaku right. (And there was certainly no allowing for  _ that _ in her plans.) Plus, Sakura wasn’t exactly keen on killing again either. When she closed her eyes, she still saw the burn marks on her enemy’s face. (Still smelled the scent of burning flesh.)

So, not only did Sakura desire a stealthy approach, she desired a  _ non-lethal _ one, which made things considerably more difficult. She wasn’t naive enough to think that Hiroshi could be persuaded out of his power, (she just didn’t want to have to think about that inevitable fight yet), but the other shinobi under him were valuable lives that Sakura didn’t want to waste. 

Those willing to assist her hadn’t seen things that way at first, but Sakura had come up with the clever excuse that the more shinobi they left alive, the safer their families would be from bandits and thugs that inevitably preyed upon small towns like these. Their ultimate goal would be to take down Hiroshi, come up with a better way of governing themselves that didn’t involve child soldiers, and leave the town’s society as intact as possible. Minimal loss of life. Maximum effect. 

Sakura wished she had Ino here. Her old friend’s family owned a flower shop, which served a double purpose: most of Konoha’s poisons and healing herbs were grown by the Yamanaka family, and Ino had known better than anyone how to make smokes that would leave a person unconscious. Gaara mentioned, upon hearing this lament, that he had some rudimentary poison knowledge. (Something many Suna shinobi had specialized in, by the sound of things) However, most of what Gaara knew of was lethal, which wouldn’t do.

That left Sakura with two options. One: hope that her small army of shinobi were skilled enough to stealthily take down fifty men without killing them. Two: come up with a jutsu that was capable of imprisoning an enemy long enough for her crew to get to Hiroshi. Of course, she had to keep enough of a reserve to challenge Hiroshi when she got to him, so logically her plan would have to rely on an even mix of both options.

Furthermore, her earth jutsu only worked when there was ground available to use beneath her; she would be near useless against any enemies on the higher floors, and she’d have to hope beyond hope that she could corner Hiroshi on the ground floor, or else her starting strategy would have to involve beating him down  _ into _ the ground floor. 

It was about an hour into her thinking when Sakura came up with what she would essentially call a ‘dick move’. 

Gaara had mentioned in his telling of the fortress’ layout that there was some sort of mess hall in which most of the shinobi took their meals. Hiroshi, of course, wouldn’t sink low enough to eat with his underlings, which meant that he likely took meals in his personal chambers. If her army waited until, say, dinner time to begin, they could ensure that the majority of Hiroshi’s army were in one place.

The mess hall was on the ground floor. There were two exits, short of windows. Though the majority of her allies were wind-style users, there were a few earth style users, and they were more than happy to teach each other a basic earthen wall technique. (Something Sakura might conveniently sit on herself, if they let her. New techniques meant she’d be less of a burden.) If they positioned themselves accordingly, and Sakura had to calculate it based on the dimensions of the walls that the earth users were able to produce, they could put up walls at both the doors and the windows in order to trap the eating shinobi inside and ensure they would be unable to interfere with the coming battle. 

Sakura calculated that at least twenty shinobi would need to stay in the area to do this, and to keep rebuilding the walls as the enemy inevitably tried to tear them down. That left her with ten shinobi and Gaara. 

Her hope was that she could trap at least forty of the enemy this way, leaving them in a ten versus ten scenario, which was better odds than before. Gaara alone could probably deal with this many enemies on his own, and at this point even if there were some accidental deaths, it would be far fewer than if Sakura had encouraged an all out brawl. And once those shinobi were dealt with, that left her, Gaara, and however many of her own had survived against Hiroshi.

Even if just  _ one _ of the ten allies had survived, that was three on one, and even against a shinobi with a kekkei genkai, those had to be good odds...right? At the very least, Sakura admitted to herself, it was a fairly solid plan. 

From there, get Hiroshi to the ground if he wasn’t, and then take him out. After that, convince the surviving enemy to surrender, set up new leadership, and…

And Sakura would have successfully staged a revolution.

Well, fuck, when she put it like that, the task seemed  _ way _ more daunting. 

Gaara seemed apathetic to the realization, which was both typical and comforting. Nothing seemed to phase the boy, and Sakura was beginning to realize that she could not only rely on that, but  _ liked _ being able to rely on that. He was much like Sasuke when it came to facing down an enemy. He wasn’t scared, simply  _ strong _ . And if Gaara was willing to stand at her side, well, maybe Sakura  _ could _ try her hand at starting a revolution. 

If she could do this, she told herself, just maybe she’d have a chance against someone from Akatsuki.

 

It took about a week to prepare, given that a couple dozen shinobi had to learn a new technique that was very much ‘not in their element’, but their small group found a surprising source of help from none other than Shukaku. Gaara, it seemed, had bullied the beast into providing information. (Sakura would have  _ loved _ to have heard that conversation firsthand.) Though the beast was bratty about it, he  _ did _ have centuries of knowledge on earth techniques, and with Gaara as his spokesperson, gave tips to Sakura about how to better pulled the earth into the wall she desired. Earth was a dense element, he explained, and the seemingly impossible task of a shinobi was to first make it soft enough to mold, and then make it hard enough to withstand damage. It required chakra control and a strong enough mind to picture exactly what needed to happen.

Something Sakura realized she was pretty darn good at. 

She in turn passed on the tips to her allies, and as the week reached its end, she was confident that they could at least keep the enemy at bay for a while, even if it wasn’t forever. Long enough, she hoped, to get Hiroshi into a corner at least. 

They scheduled a date for the attack, and Sakura spent her last day of preparation stocking up on paper bombs and sharpening her tools. She went over the plan, and the layout of the fortress, over and over again in her mind until she was certain she wouldn’t forget it. She’d know the lay of the land better than Hiroshi himself, damn it all, and she knew, she just  _ knew _ that would have to come to her advantage somehow. 

Her plan wasn’t perfect, but it was unexpected and easy enough to execute. All that was left was the doing of it.

 

-

 

Sometimes a plan went just a little bit  _ too _ well.

Sakura should have known that something bad was on the horizon when her men had managed to trap an amazing forty-three of the enemy within the mess hall. She should have known something bad was coming when the remaining seven men were taken down with only two casualties on her side. She should have known that something was undeniably  _ up _ when they walked into Hiroshi’s room (second floor, east side of the fortress) and the man had what looked to be a pile of two hundred weapons at his feet. 

She  _ definitely _ knew that shit was about to get even worse when all two hundred of the weapons suddenly levitated into the air and pointed at her small team.

“You’re bold. I’ll give you that.” Hiroshi spoke. “It’s unfortunate you’ve chosen this path. Now I have no choice but to kill you.”

Sakura didn’t even have time to blink before the weapons shot at her team. She heard the sound of blades tearing flesh, and she heard the sound of rushing sand.

When her thoughts caught up with her, all of her allies had been impaled on the wall behind her. In front of her, Gaara’s sand had rushed forward, protecting both him and her from harm. If not for Gaara, she’d have died instantly. She didn’t stand a chance against this shinobi on her own, and even with Gaara, Sakura was beginning to realize that it might be a miracle for them to get out of this alive.

Especially when she saw, out of the corners of her eyes, the weapons behind her begin to lift and move once again. 

_...fuck. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to the foreboding realization that I've spent way too much time researching Naruto lore for this story. Also the foreboding realization that this is going to be...long.
> 
> Shoutout to the handful of readers who've been commenting on every chapter. You know who you are. I would die for you.
> 
> I've also noticed that this fic is nearing a hundred bookmarks which is somehow both baffling and pleasing. In honor of this, I've decided to release my next intermission chapter a little early. That's two whole new chapters for the wait of one!))


	16. Failures (Intermission Part Three)

The sun began to set, and Kakashi Hatake prepared to depart on the most important mission of his life. 

To the southwest was the town of Sunagakure, and an (admittedly impressed) Kakashi had taken nearly a day to be able to track down that it was southwest that his young student had gone. But it had taken even longer to prepare himself for this journey, and the more he lingered on the previous events of the day, the more worry began to settle inside him. 

His memories lingered on the hardened face of the Princess Tsunade, his Hokage and commander, troubled by more than just his wayward students as he’d made his way into her office. Though usually she was bogged down by paperwork, she had instead taken to staring out her window to gaze over the village, turning only when Kakashi had closed the door behind him.

“Lady Tsunade, I’m afraid my student has deceived us.” He began. “I’ve tracked down her scent, and it seems as though she’s-”

Tsunade held up a hand, and Kakashi quieted. He knew better than to speak out of turn.

“Orochimaru has hideouts everywhere, no doubt also in the Wind Country, given how he turned Suna against us.”

Kakashi’s eye widened. So Tsunade had learned Sakura’s true course as well? 

“But that’s not the direction  _ Sasuke _ went, she would have taken the most direct path she knew!” 

“Kakashi, there is no point to further discussion. Shinobi have already been sent to recover Ms. Haruno.” Tsunade retorted, sitting down on her desk and pulling open a drawer. “She is no Uchiha, not flanked by Orochimaru’s chosen. She’ll be brought back to us quickly.” She pulled out a small, tightly wrapped scroll before placing it on her desk. “I have more pressing matters for you to deal with anyway.” 

“Forgive me, Lady Tsunade, but I will not be taking any further missions until my student has been returned home.” 

“Then you will be strung up for treason, Kakashi.” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed as she stared the jounin down. “And you will not be much help to your student that way. This mission is extremely important, Kakashi, and I think you’ll find it more beneficial to your own goals than you might think.”

Kakashi thought of arguing, but even he knew better than that. Tsunade seemed to have some sort of plan in mind, so instead he forced himself to take the scroll Tsunade had put forward for him. He made to open it, but Tsunade halted him.

“Kakashi...this is an S-ranked mission. Do not open that scroll here. Ensure your complete privacy before reading it.”

S-ranked? And how on earth would that have anything to do with Sakura?

“Fine.” Kakashi agreed. “But if I feel that this  _ isn’t _ beneficial to my student…”

“Then you may come speak with me again.” 

 

Kakashi knew several places that he could reliably trust to be out of the range of most people, and even fewer where he could reliably avoid the eye of most shinobi. He wasted no time heading to the closest one. Every moment he wasted on this ‘mission’ was a moment wasted retrieving Sakura, and he had very little of those left to lose.

Eventually, he reached the spot: a small cave within the Hokage Rock that had been shown to him by the Fourth Hokage upon his chuunin promotion. Within, Kakashi allowed himself to settle, using his Sharingan eye to check for anyone nearby before unraveling the small scroll in front of him. Within, he saw Tsunade’s handwriting.

_ Kakashi, _

_ I have been investigating into recent events in the village that have happened since my leaving and have come across information that has disturbed and troubled me. I apologize for being unable to speak with you directly, but I am now aware of the existence of those within our own village who are listening in on my every word and spying for the gain of another within the village. You were Anbu once, and no doubt aware of the elite branch of Root within Anbu, led by our own Danzo. It was Danzo himself who insisted on sending members of Root after your student, Sakura, and I have reason to believe it is not because he cares for the girl’s wellbeing. Danzo has always been unnaturally obsessed with the Uchiha, to the point of my raised suspicions. It is possible that he hopes the girl will lead his Root shinobi straight to Sasuke, and from there...I am not sure what.  _

_ Regardless of whether or not Sakura intends to go to Sasuke, this provides us with a unique opportunity. Even as Hokage, Danzo remains secretive to me, and his Root shinobi even more so. Your mission is to follow Sakura, as you intend, but also to find and interrogate any Root shinobi you find and determine the true nature of their own investigations. Any information about Danzo and Root must be retrieved at all costs, for the protection of your students, and potentially this village.  _

_ Root’s actions run deeper than I care to admit. With Jiraiya gone, there are few I can trust with this information. You were Minato’s most prized student, and mentor to these children, so I have chosen to leave my trust with you.  _

_ This S-ranked mission will be completed upon Sakura’s return to this village. Pack heavy.  _

 

Kakashi had packed very heavy. Food and rations for a couple weeks, sharpened tools, and Tsunade’s scroll burned to ash, beyond any repair. Sakura was being followed by Root. That alone was worrying enough. Tsunade had not been aware, it seemed, of Kakashi’s past dealings with Root, nor that Kakashi had worked directly under Danzo himself for a time. 

But the Hokage had been right in her placement of trust. Kakashi, perhaps, knew Danzo better than anyone. The man had once tried to orchestrate the assassination of the Third Hokage, among countless other questionable things, all in the name of the village. The worst part was that Kakashi couldn’t necessarily fault the man’s intent, but if he’d taken an interest in the Uchiha, in the power of the Sharingan…

Kakashi had turned against Root for a reason. And now it seemed as though he would be working against them yet again. But before he could leave, Kakashi had one more thing he had left to do.

With a quick prick of blood, Kakashi summoned one of his hounds, kneeling down to hand them a scroll that he had spent meticulously writing in the secrecy of the Hokage Rock cave. “Deliver this to Lady Tsunade. Ensure she opens it in privacy.” He ordered. The dog ran off without further words.

Inside the scroll was a detailed account of Kakashi’s dealings with Root, working under the Third Hokage, as well as his written acceptance of his new mission. 

From here, there was nothing left to do but follow his original plan and find Sakura. Southwest, across the vast deserts that surrounded the Village Hidden in the Sands. Sakura wasn’t headed to Orochimaru, of that Kakashi felt certain, so instead her intent was surely to go to Suna. But why there? What could she be looking for that she couldn’t find in Konoha? 

He’d find out once he found her, he supposed, but he had wasted enough time in his thoughts. With a chakra-enhanced pushed, he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, eventually soaring over the village walls in the direction of Suna. 

_ I’ve failed Sasuke and Naruto. But this time, Sakura, I  _ won’t _ fail you! _

  
  


-

  
  


Naruto Uzumaki was considered an idiot by most. 

It was true that he was no battle genius like Sasuke, and definitely not intelligent like Sakura, but despite what others thought, he was in no way dense. Rather, his mind refused to focus on anything he didn’t deem immediately important. Reading books was slow and tedious, so he’d never been able to do that, but he  _ had _ been training since he could hold a kunai in his hand, and on top of that, he had learned to figure out information in other ways. 

Maybe it was the way that certain people looked at him all his life, or the hushed whispers in his presence, but Naruto knew when someone was talking secrets and he knew when those secrets involved him. When he was young, he had dismissed that knowledge. He hadn’t cared what people whispered about, and he hadn’t cared about secrets. But in the more recent past, especially knowing now about the Nine-Tailed Fox that had been sealed inside him, Naruto was beginning to think it might just be a good idea to pay attention when people were whispering about him after all.

So when he saw Jiraiya subtly whispering to one of Tsunade’s slugs night after night, Naruto knew it had to be important, and he knew it had to, in some way or another, involve him. And this time, Naruto wasn’t going to let secrets get thrown around so easily. Secrets had been kept from him since he was  _ born _ , and he was starting to get more than a little sick of it. He hadn’t come along with Jiraiya to be kept even more in the dark. He’d come to learn and grow and get strong enough to defeat Orochimaru  _ and _ Akatsuki, as well as ensure he would be strong enough to bring Sasuke back to his village one day. 

So Naruto schemed.

It was something he was good at, scheming. He’d been pulling pranks for years, good enough pranks to fool the local chuunin and jounin alike, and his perverted sensei had been easy enough to get advantage of with the right disguises and words. All he had to do was wait for the opportune moment to both distract his sensei and get one of Tsunade’s slugs alone.

The next night at the hot spring would suit well enough. Naruto prepared in advance by creating a Shadow Clone and having it wait just outside of the spring, beyond Jiraiya’s view. He then left the clone with very specific instructions.

From there, he entered the hot spring with Jiraiya and put on the guise of attempting to perfect his wind chakra once again. Though he put in some effort into cutting his leaf, he kept an eye trained on the area around Jiraiya. Sure enough, after a time, a small slug scooted in Jiraiya’s direction, and Naruto listened as they whispered to each other. Now was the time, and he hoped his clone was ready. 

“Ah, oh my! This isn’t the girl’s hot spring, is it?”

His clone had appeared, using a henge jutsu to disguise himself as a young woman wrapped in a bath towel. His sensei was strong, but also easily distracted by the sight of a pretty woman, and tonight was no exception. Jiraiya’s gaze immediately turned to his disguised clone, and Naruto didn’t wait to hear what disgusting words would come out of the man’s mouth. Instead, he moved, quick as a flash, and snatched Tsunade’s slug off the ground. Once he was good and hidden in a nearby bush, he held the slug up to his face for a chat.

“Alright, slug, it’s time to talk. What have you and the Pervy Sensei been talking about behind my back?” 

“Naruto…” The slug spoke in a calming, feminine voice that held hints of distress. “If Lord Jiraiya has not deemed to share this information with you, then it is not for your ears.”

“I didn’t ask whether or not I was supposed to hear it. I asked what it was.” Naruto demanded. “And we don’t have much time before Jiraiya figures out what my clone is up to, so either you talk now or I start the threats.”

“You don’t scare me, Naruto.”

“Oh really?” Naruto allowed a wicked grin to come to his face. “I’ve heard escargot is pretty good. Slugs and snails are almost the same thing, right? If you don’t tell me what’s up, maybe I’ll start a nice little campfire and figure out what’s so good about it myself…”

The slug let out a few squeaks of distress, and Naruto knew he had her in the palm of his hands. But for emphasis, he lifted the slug up and opened his mouth. “Bottoms up!”

“No, Naruto, no, no!” The slug writhed in his grip desperately. “I really can’t tell you about these sorts of things, they’re very much classified! But...I can tell you what to ask Jiraiya about! Ask him about Sakura!”

Sakura? Naruto dropped the slug in shock, and the slug quickly slithered away out of his reach. That didn’t matter anymore, though, what could Sakura be up to that Tsunade and Jiraiya were keeping from him?

Naruto crawled out of the bush just in time to be confronted by the angry gaze of his mentor, who’d clearly figured out his little prank.

“Alright, Naruto, what are you up to back here?”

Naruto frowned, standing up to his full height and attempting to look as serious as possible. “I’ll tell you when you tell me what’s going on with Sakura.” 

For a brief moment, he saw Jiraiya’s anger falter, and Naruto knew the slug had been right and he’d caught onto something.

“...get dressed, kid. I’ll tell you at the inn.”

Naruto was quick to throw on his clothes, but Jiraiya took longer, seeming to stall to the point where Naruto was beginning to worry that something  _ bad _ had happened to Sakura. When Jiraiya spoke, however, Naruto realized that it was much,  _ much _ worse than that.

Sakura had left the village. Sakura had left the village and, according to the note she’d left behind, gone to join Sasuke and Orochimaru. 

Naruto’s knuckles turned white as he gripped at his knees. He had not been gone from the village long, but apparently that had been long enough for Sakura to lose hope. (Or, had Sakura not had any hope left in him to begin with?) He’d  _ told _ Sakura that they would bring back Sasuke together, she just had to give him some time to train and get stronger…

And he’d left and now, so had Sakura.

If he had stayed behind in the village, if he had stayed with Sakura, would she have left? Could he have convinced her to stay? Could he have shown her that she didn’t need to take on the burden alone, that Sasuke could be saved if they’d just worked together, gotten stronger together?

It was his fault, he realized, not just for Sakura, but for Sasuke as well. Time and time again he’d failed to understand the true feelings of the two closest to him, and now both of them had left Konoha behind. If he had been a little more understanding, a little less clumsy, a little more supportive, maybe they would have stayed. Maybe they could have remained Team Seven. But now…

Now there truly wasn’t any Team Seven left.

“I’m sorry, Naruto.” Jiraiya said honestly. “I hadn’t wanted to tell you because right now they’re working on retrieving her. She could be back soon, she doesn’t have Orochimaru’s posse trailing around her-”

“It doesn’t matter.” 

Naruto bit back tears, though it was becoming increasingly difficult. “It doesn’t matter…” He continued. “Because she still wanted to leave. Even if you bring her back, it won’t matter because right now nobody’s there for her that understands, so she’s just going to try and leave again the first chance she gets. It doesn’t matter because I wasn’t there to comfort her. I wasn’t there to convince her to stay, and I’m the only one who can.”

“Naruto…”

“I shouldn’t have left Konoha!” Naruto suddenly yelled, standing up to face his sensei directly. “We could have stayed there and trained, and I could have been there for her!”

“You know why we can’t stay there, Naruto.” Jiraiya argued. “That’s going to be the first place Akatsuki look for you, even if my sources say they aren’t going to come for you yet, we never know when that might change.”

“I don’t care anymore. Let them come. I’d rather get captured then be out here away from my friends when they need me. I told Sakura a long time ago that I wasn’t going to run away anymore, and I never go back on my word.”

“This isn’t just about  _ you _ , kid, this is about the entire village! Potentially the entire shinobi world! You can’t just act rashly with that fox inside you! If you get captured, then that power ends up in the hands of people like Itachi, and who knows what Akatsuki plan on doing with it!” 

“And I said  _ let them come. _ ”

Naruto felt a hot energy burning inside of him. The energy of the Nine-Tailed Fox. It seemed to boil and rise with his angry, molding with his own natural chakra. Fueling it. “Let them come.” He repeated. “A teacher of mine told me that shinobi that those who abandon their comrades are the lowest of the low. Trash. I’m done running and I’m done leaving my friends behind.” 

He met Jiraiya’s eyes, his heart filled with determination. “You’re a pretty strong shinobi, right Pervy Sage? Strong enough to make Itachi and that shark guy run off when they saw you?”

“Naruto, I don’t see what that has to do with-”

“So, if I can make it all the way back to the village without you catching me, that means I’ll be strong enough to get away from Akatsuki if they come for me, yeah?”

Jiraiya froze as he processed Naruto’s words. Exactly the moment Naruto had been hoping for. He let the Fox’s chakra build inside him before pushing it downwards towards his legs. With a push, he launched himself towards the inn’s window, throwing himself through it and into the brisk air of the night. He heard Jiraiya calling his name desperately, but he did not allow himself to stop.

Naruto had to admit that sometimes people were right. Sometimes he  _ could _ be an idiot. He’d been an idiot for leaving Sakura behind, an idiot for leaving the village behind. What sort of Hokage would he be if he couldn’t keep his friends safe? What sort of Hokage would he be if he didn’t even spend time in the village he wanted to leave one day? He wouldn’t earn people’s respect traipsing off after Jiraiya, even if Jiraiya had half a decent reputation behind him. If Jiraiya really wanted to train him, they’d train at the village. Naruto would be waiting there, hopefully for Sakura’s return, and definitely so that none of his friends would ever feel abandoned again. Sakura, Sasuke, and all of the other Leaf genin that he had befriended…

No more leaving them behind. No more.

Naruto Uzumaki was coming home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to questions. Will Kakashi be able to catch up with Sakura in time to save her from two hundred bullshit levitating weapons? Will Naruto be able to reach Konoha before Jiraiya can interfere? Will Sasuke ever be done catching the daimyo's cat?
> 
> Well, at least one of those has an obvious answer.))


	17. Chapter 17

_ She needed time to think! _

The weapons had already turned to point at her and Gaara, and Sakura’s body couldn’t  _ move _ , couldn’t react fast enough to  _ do _ something. Sand rushed quicker than her mind could process, blocking once, twice, three times, until it became an uncountable barrage of blade and earth. It was automatic, Sakura remembered, but only when it came to Gaara’s own defense, which meant that Gaara was protecting her faster than she could blink and she couldn’t  _ do _ anything.

And then, out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the sand begin to grow in volume around her, growing thicker and thicker until it became like a dome around them. Before Sakura could think on it any further, the world around her became pitch black. Around her, she heard distant thuds as Hiroshi’s weapons threw themselves against Gaara’s ultimate defense. A solid barrier of sand. Sakura had remembered seeing this from the outside during the chuunin exams, and knew that only something with the force of Sasuke’s Chidori could penetrate it. (And Hiroshi couldn’t have such a power, could he?) 

But of course, she hadn’t realized that the dome left the user in such darkness. They were on the second floor, which meant no earth beneath them to use, and without opening up the barrier, neither of them could attack from their position. They were defended, but...they couldn’t do anything else.

Sakura forced herself to breathe.

“Well. Here we are.” 

The barrage of attacks seemed to quicken outside. Hiroshi was testing the dome’s strength. Sakura heard a small rustle of movement next to her.

“What are you doing?”

“I can connect my optic nerve to my sand using my chakra. I can see outside, that way.”

“...I can’t even begin to tell you how weird that sounds.” 

But it was a useful weird skill, and Sakura realized that she too had a useful weird skill that could allow her to have a similar sort of ‘view’ of the battlefield. With a couple of hand signs, Sakura let out a sensing pulse to the area around them, noting with a small bit of glee that Gaara’s sand dome didn’t seem to block her. She pinpointed Hiroshi immediately, as well as confirmed that the rest of the fortress’ inhabitants still appeared to be focused in one location. They wouldn’t be interrupted anytime soon, which was probably a good thing. If any of the other shinobi came into this room now…

Sakura thought of the bodies Hiroshi had pinned to the walls and let out a small shudder.

“He’s slowing down.” Gaara commented, pulling Sakura from her thoughts. “I think he’s realized he can’t penetrate the sand with his weapons. But if he has experience with Magnet Release, he might be able to pull apart my sand anyway.” 

“Well isn’t that just peachy?” Sakura pouted. But, for the moment, she had time to think.

She’d been called the smartest shinobi of her generation. She’d aced every tactics exam she’d been given at the academy. If she couldn’t figure out how to handle this man, they were dead. (Or Gaara would be forced to summon up Shukaku’s power, and...she’d probably end up dead anyway.)

If they wanted an edge, one thing had to happen. They needed to get themselves and Hiroshi down to the first floor so that they’d have access to earth. If they tried to flee outright, Sakura wasn’t sure if Gaara’s sand would be quick enough to protect them both, plus she risked leading Hiroshi to her comrades. (And Hiroshi potentially freeing his own men.) This meant that she had to bring the first floor to them, or rather, eliminate the second floor from existence. She’d brought plenty of paper bombs with her, and if she placed a good amount of them on the floor, it was likely she’d break the floor apart enough that they’d have no choice but to fall to the first. 

Downside to this plan: she’d have to leave the safety of Gaara’s dome, which essentially spelled certain doom for her. Even if Gaara took down the dome and focused on defending her as she ran, that left himself open, and Sakura didn’t want to place bets on Gaara being able to protect her from the  _ hundreds of weapons currently in the room this man was a  _ **_maniac_ ** . 

What they needed was a way to temporarily disable Hiroshi’s weapons, long enough for her to throw down enough paper bombs and take out the floor. Problem: the most obvious way of doing this was to take out Hiroshi, which wasn’t happening easily enough for this current goal.

“Sakura.” Gaara’s voice sounded urgent in the darkness. “He’s starting to pull against my sand.” 

“I’m  _ thinking _ .” Sakura hissed back, reaching into her pouch to ready her paper bombs. If she attached them to her kunai, she could throw them anywhere she needed in the room. 

She had one idea, and she was pretty sure it would work, but if not...she was probably dead. 

“I’m going to destroy the floor so that we’ll be forced to fight on the ground floor.” She began to explain her plan aloud. “I think I have enough paper bombs to do it, but I need a break from Hiroshi’s blades long enough to throw them down around the room. What I need you to do is expand your dome out so that it pushes Hiroshi and all of his weapons against the walls.”

“That’ll make the sand thin.” Gaara pointed out. “Hiroshi will be able to push out of that fairly quickly.”

“All I need is enough time to throw.” Sakura insisted. “Once I detonate them, I make my way back to you, and we get under the dome again. From there, we’ll have ground beneath us and I’ll be able to attack him while you defend.”

“Okay. Just tell me when.”

Sakura took a deep breath. She needed to be prepared to move quickly. She began to focus her chakra to her feet, hoping the boost would be enough to get the job done. Then, she held her hands at the ready.

“Now.”

The sand around her suddenly pushed outwards with incredible speed, and just as Sakura thought, it pushed the weapons and Hiroshi back towards the walls of the room. She sprinted forward, throwing her first several bomb-wrapped kunai as she did. Then, she twisted around to throw more at the corners behind her. She made it down to her last two just as she saw Hiroshi burst free from Gaara’s sand. She saw swords and shuriken begin to pull forth right as the last two flew from her fingertips. Hiroshi was aiming at her, and she only had seconds.

She brought her hands together to make the Snake sign, simultaneously pushing herself towards Gaara in the hopes that she would be quick enough.

The sound around her was deafened by the explosion that rocked the room. Her ears rang, and several bursts of wind and force blew her about like a ragdoll before the floor began to give out from under her. For a moment, all Sakura could do was allow herself to fall. 

The room beneath them appeared to be a sitting room of some kind, with chairs, tables, and sofas decorating it. Sakura considered herself lucky that she landed on one of the sofas, something soft at least, and considered herself  _ doubly _ lucky when she saw Hiroshi land on one of the tables with a loud ‘crack’. Though the blast had disoriented her, she still remembered the next step of the plan.  _ Get to Gaara _ .

He’d landed on his feet, with the sand having shielded him from the negative effects of the blast. Sakura pushed herself to her feet, noticing that Hiroshi was quickly doing the same.  _ Not much time _ . She forced chakra to her legs, leaping across the rubble in front of her, closer and closer and-

Pain.

Pain radiated up her shoulder as a kunai blade buried itself into her flesh. Sakura cried out, tripping and falling forward as she did, and then all at once the room went dark around her.

For a brief moment, Sakura thought she’d fallen unconscious. Only when she felt Gaara’s hands on her did she realize that he’d pulled up his dome of sand again. 

“Sakura, I...I wasn’t…”

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.” Sakura yelled, another wave of pain shooting through her. “Fuck and  _ shit _ .”

“I’m so  _ sorry _ .”

Sakura gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself from a further outburst. By the sound of his breathing, it seemed like Gaara was panicking, and that was the  _ last _ thing she wanted.

“It’s okay.” She forced herself to say. “It’s alright, it’s just a kunai.”

“You’re  _ bleeding _ .”

“Yeah, that tends to happen when kunai are involved.” Sakura mentally cursed again, reaching up to feel at the weapon. It was buried fairly deep, and if she left the safety of Gaara’s dome, Hiroshi could like push it deeper. It was a bad idea to remove embedded weapons, but she’d have to if she wanted to face Hiroshi head on.  _ And boy did she  _ **_really_ ** _ want to hurt that man now.  _ She reached out to touch Gaara’s hand, guiding it to the handle. “I need you to pull this out.”

“W-what?”

“Pull it  _ out _ or Hiroshi’s just going to push it in further.”

“Sakura-”

“It’s  _ okay _ , Gaara. I’ll be okay.” Sakura wasn’t quite sure if she’d be okay; bleeding out wasn’t high on her to do list but it looked like she might not have much choice. Still, Gaara was hesitating. “It’s...not your fault.” She continued, trying to calm him. “We didn’t move fast enough. It happens. As long as we finish this, it won’t have mattered, alright? You pull this out, I’ll blast that mother  _ fucker _ to kingdom come, okay?”

There was silence. Then, with a quick pull, Gaara yanked the kunai from her shoulder. Another kind of pain, a different kind, shot through her, and Sakura knew she didn’t have too much time.

“Now we need to bandage it.” She used her good arm to reach for her pouch, shakily pulling out a roll of bandaging tape. “I can’t do it myself, so you’ll have to do it blind. Get it as tight as you can to make a tourniquet.”

“I’m losing focus on the sand.” Gaara replied, his hands shaky as he took hold of the tape. 

“Then move  _ quickly _ .” 

She heard the sound of the tape unraveling before feeling a painful pressure on her shoulder. Gaara was panicking, yes, but he at least had the clarity of mind to do a good wrap. After a few seconds, Sakura gingerly forced her arm to move. It was her non-dominant arm, which was the only plus side at the moment. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to use it much.

“Alright.” Sakura stood up, taking a breath before sending out another sensing pulse. Hiroshi was approximately ten feet away, and they were now on solid ground. Since he could use Magnet Release, she had to assume he could use earth-style jutsu too, which meant all three of them would now benefit from being on the ground floor. 

“I want to test something out.” Sakura decided. “Get your little optic-nerve sand thing going. I’m going to use my sensing to aim some attacks, and you let me know how accurate I am, alright?”

“Alright.” 

Sakura gave him the time he needed before sending out her pulse again. Hiroshi hadn’t moved, the cocky bastard. He was about to figure out why  _ that _ was a bad idea. Sakura only wished she hadn’t had to use all of her paper bombs on getting them to the ground floor; another Tunnel Bomb would have been ideal for a scenario like this. For now, she’d have to settle for her Reverse Tunneling to see if she could knock the man out.

She focused, picturing a tunnel coming outwards exactly ten feet away from her, and hopefully right beneath Hiroshi’s feet. Then, she pictured filling it, before she reached down and poured her chakra into the earth.

Sakura heard Gaara wince, and she grinned.

“It hit?”

“Yeah.”

“Where it counts?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what he  _ gets _ .” Sakura let herself pump a fist into the air. The victory was short lived, however, as she suddenly felt the ground rumble beneath her feet. She and Gaara jumped, just in time as the earth beneath them suddenly shot upwards to form hardened spikes. As gravity kicked in, she felt Gaara’s sand form beneath her feet, and suddenly the dome moved upwards into the air.

“I can’t keep this up for long.” Gaara admitted. 

“I didn’t think he’d consider using the earth beneath us like that, but I guess I gave him the idea, didn’t I?” Sakura groaned. “We need to end this before he starts affecting your sand, and I’ve only got one thing left up my sleeve.”

“What’s that?”

“...I’m going to need to get close enough to punch him.”

She could almost feel Gaara’s judging gaze upon her. “Your final idea is just to punch him?”

“Well, hopefully not  _ just _ punch.” Sakura admitted with a nervous chuckle. “I mean, if I do it right, he’ll be unconscious, and that solves all our problems, right?” Besides, Naruto won all of  _ his _ battles with punches, so why couldn’t she? Plus, she actually  _ did _ have an idea for giving her punch some extra...well _ , punch _ . But it would require manipulating earth chakra in a way she hadn’t done before, all while using a minimal amount of hand-signs, and while dodging whatever Hiroshi had to throw her way. 

But Gaara  _ did _ have access to the earth beneath them now, as well as his sand. Maybe now he’d have enough to defend both of them. Sakura just needed to dodge whatever Gaara missed and dodge it perfectly.

One shot. One chance to end it. 

“Drop us to the ground and get ready. If you have the chance to take him down, take it, but if not, keep him off my back.” 

The sand lowered, and Sakura readied herself. She sent out another sensing pulse to confirm Hiroshi’s location, turning to face the man just as Gaara’s sand dispersed around them.

“Are you done hiding, little brats?” Hiroshi spoke, standing at the ready with several weapons around him. “You’re going to pay for that potshot, girl.”

Sakura didn’t give him the privilege of a response. If he was talking, he was distracted. She shot forward at a sprint, hoping beyond hope that she and Gaara were fast enough to get her where she needed.

Weapons flew at her, still too fast for her eyes to follow. Burst after burst of sand blocked her from the weapons’ paths, but before she could reach Hiroshi, the man summoned up a wall of earth to block her. Great, so now he was playing  _ their _ game, and that meant that Sakura would need to either break through the wall or go around. There was rubble in the way, but Sakura knew she didn’t have the physical power to break solid earth, so around it was. Left or right? For a brief moment, she hesitated, and just as she shifted to head left, she felt pain as another kunai embedded itself into her right leg.

“Sakura!”

Gaara’s cries kept her focus. It hurt, it hurt  _ bad _ , but if she stopped it would only keep hurting. She looked back up just in time to see Gaara’s sand fly at the earth wall in front of her. Hiroshi had hesitated after landing the hit, and Gaara had taken the opportunity to launch an attack of his own. Sand hit earth and dirt seemed to fly, but Sakura caught a glimpse of Hiroshi beyond the wall and knew that Gaara, somehow, had been stronger, and this was her only  _ chance _ . Pain be damned, she had to  _ go _ .

She ran, and as she did she briefly closed her eyes and focused on the chakra in her right hand.

There was earth chakra in the ground beneath her, and her own chakra that ran through her. What she needed to do was pull the two chakras together, and use the earth to envelop the chakra in her hand. All she had to go on was a single hand-sign from when her enemy had used this jutsu before, but if Shukaku and history were to be believed, hand-signs weren’t necessary at all, just a focus, so a single hand-sign would have to be enough. She brought her two hands together into the sign of the tiger before thrusting her hand downwards towards the ground.

And she could  _ feel _ it, she could  _ feel _ the chakra in the ground beneath her, if only for a brief moment, and all she needed to do was  _ pull _ .

Hiroshi was in front of her, wide open, and though he was frantically trying to make hand-signs of his own, Sakura knew she could make it to him in time if she just concentrated. She needed chakra for her hand, but she also needed chakra for her legs to keep up speed, and Kakashi had told her that her chakra control was impeccable which meant she  _ knew _ she had the capability to do this, to be fast enough, to be strong enough.

She thought of Sasuke, dashing forward with his Chidori to face down Gaara’s ultimate defense. She thought of Naruto and Sasuke facing each other down, unyielding, hands aglow with chakra. She thought of Kakashi, facing down Zabuza, one of the strongest shinobi she’d ever faced.

This time it was her turn. 

This time  _ she’d _ get to be strong.

By the time she got within range, pieces of earth had molded themselves around Sakura’s fist in the form of a rock gauntlet. She pushed herself forward, ignoring the shooting pain in her leg, and ignoring the rock wall that Hiroshi was pulling into existence in a desperate attempt to keep her away. All that mattered was the moment. All that mattered was the hit.

She aimed for the face and her blow struck true, slamming against Hiroshi’s jaw with enough force that she heard his bones audibly crack. The man went flying backwards, slamming against the nearby wall with the force of Sakura’s hit, before slumping down to the ground.

Sakura landed and fell to her knee, her injured leg shaking with pain, but it didn’t matter. She’d  _ landed _ it,  _ she’d landed it, she’d  _ **_landed_ ** _ it!  _ She could do it, she could be like Naruto and Sasuke, she could-

Hiroshi groaned and moved. She’d hit him, but he wasn’t unconscious.

_ Fuck _ .

His jaw, at the very least, looked broken, but Hiroshi pulled himself to his feet without much fuss. Her move certainly wasn’t a Chidori, not something that could kill, and she’d been lucky enough to get that one hit in. What were the chances of her getting another hit in  _ now _ ? Hiroshi had to be in pain, though, so how much longer could he possibly drag the fight on?

For a brief moment, she and Hiroshi simply looked at each other. A brief reprieve for them, Sakura realized. He was injured, she was injured, they both could afford to rest for a second. But what was Gaara doing? Now was his chance, now he could-

“Holy  _ shit _ , would you look at that pink bitch go? She’s gonna take out your bounty before you get the chance, Kakuzu.”

Sakura’s heart froze in her chest. Someone else was here.

She turned to look behind her, and her breath hitched as she caught sight of black robes decorated with red clouds.

Akatsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is brought to you by #BigPunch
> 
> Action scenes are hard. They're even harder at 10pm on a Sunday. Would not recommend that specific combination again.))


	18. Chapter 18

Each second that passed seemed to draw out to minutes as Sakura looked to the two men who had just arrived. It seemed impossible. Akatsuki, here, now? She’d built them up so much in her that they were almost like a fairytale nightmare, something that frightened her at night but had never had any  _ real _ chance of appearing. Certainly not so suddenly, certainly not right  _ here _ , right  _ now _ .

The one who had spoken was currently laughing. He carried an enormous weapon on his back, something that looked like a triple-bladed scythe. Monstrous and unwieldy looking. The man’s hair was short and grey, slicked back, and the glitter of a necklace caught Sakura’s attention. (A circle with an inverted triangle? She’d never seen such a symbol before.) The other man stood just behind the first, and had wrapped his face up with scarves and and a mask, to the point where Sakura couldn’t notice anything discernable about him. (But there had been a name, Kakuzu, and part of her insisted that she had to remember the name.) 

Black robes with red clouds. There was no doubting that these two belonged to Akatsuki, and Sakura’s immediate thought was that, of course, they had to be here for Gaara. Without thinking, her hand moved to the kunai embedded in her thigh, and she pulled it out with a small wince. It was a weapon, and she could use it to defend Gaara, even if that was all she could do right now she had to do  _ something _ .

“Just look at that guy! Broken jaw, looks like some busted ribs, and just look at the fuckin’ room, man!” The gray-haired man stepped forward, and Sakura instinctively moved to stand between him and Gaara, kunai at the ready. The man did not draw his own weapon, however, merely looking even more excited. “And she’s still got spunk on top of that! Say, would you be interested in converting to Jashinism?”

Sakura’s mind blanked. Jashinism? What even  _ was _ that? And he was asking her to...convert?

“I know it might not look like it, but I’m a pretty religious guy.” The man continued, seemingly oblivious to her confusion. “Part of doctrine insists we always look for potential converts. I could teach you all about Lord Jashin if you wanted.”

“R-religion?” Sakura forced herself to speak, more flabbergasted than she wanted to be in such a situation. “Is now really the best time for that?” 

The man raised an eyebrow. “Is there a better time than now?”

Sakura looked over to Hiroshi, who looked just as baffled as she did, before turning back to the man. “Um...I mean. We were...we were fighting.” 

“Oh, yeah, I guess so, huh?” The man gave a small shrug. “Well, Kakuzu dragged me here to kill this man so, sorry, we’re gonna have to take it from here. I don’t want to have to deny someone a kill but...well, it’s been way too damn long since I’ve had any sort of decent fight, you know?”

Sakura was now certain of one thing about this man: he was an absolute psychopath.

She was also now certain that, somehow, maybe by some miracle, they  _ weren’t _ here after Gaara, but the instant they realized who he was, that would change. She glanced back to her partner, noting that he had let his sand fall to the ground. Good. The less clues there were to his identity, the better. 

She looked back to the man in front of her, and all at once, three swords embedded themselves into the man’s chest.

Hiroshi had used his Magnet Release again, quicker than Sakura could have reacted. She saw sand moving at her feet (Gaara had been ready to protect her, thank goodness), but none of the swords had come towards her. Hiroshi, it seemed, had been trying to catch these new men off guard...and succeeded? Had it really been that easy? If she’d known throwing a  _ kunai _ at an Akatsuki member had been all it took…

“Hey, that’s really fucking rude, you know? We were in the middle of a goddamn conversation!” 

And then the man was  _ talking _ like there weren’t three swords sticking out of his chest. Sakura couldn’t help but stare, open-mouthed, as she processed the fact that three blows, three  _ fatal _ blows that would have killed practically anyone she knew, hadn’t seemed to  _ phase _ this man.

Sakura was now certain of another thing about this man: if he ever decided to become her foe, she was well and truly  _ screwed _ .

(Which led Sakura to conclude, in the heat of the moment, that no matter how this situation resolved itself, she needed to  _ stay on this man’s good side _ .)

“I guess now would be a pretty good time to show you the power of god, huh?” The man looked back to Sakura, his grin having returned. “You’ve done a fairly good job bringing on the pain, but let me show you what  _ real _ pain looks like.”

“Hidan.” 

The masked man finally spoke, his deep voice seeming to echo throughout the room and bring all attention to him. Sakura couldn’t help but shiver. If the friendlier guy was  _ this _ powerful, how strong was the menacing one?  _ She was so out of her goddamn league. _

“Remember not to damage the head.” The man, Kakuzu, continued. “It’s only worth the million ryo if he’s recognizable.”

“You and your damn money. I won’t touch his fucking head.” Hidan retorted with a roll of his eyes, not even flinching as Hiroshi put two more swords through him. “You know, money isn’t worth shit in the afterlife.”

“Good thing I don’t plan on dying any time soon.”

Sakura subtly moved a little closer to Gaara. These men were definitely some sort of insane. She flinched as she felt Gaara put a hand on her shoulder, but admittedly was grateful for his presence. More than anything, she wanted to just  _ run _ , but…

But she couldn’t now, could she? If they weren’t Akatsuki’s current target, then this was the perfect chance to gather information about the two members, which was  _ exactly _ what she had set off from Konoha to do. She already knew one thing about Akatsuki that her village definitely had not known before: one of them was seemingly immortal, and seemed to follow a religion called Jashinism. She had two names, Hidan and Kakuzu, and all she had to do was keep herself and Gaara alive long enough and…

And not only would she have defeated Hiroshi, she would have gained valuable information for herself, her village, and Naruto.

Sakura’s fear seemed to ebb into the back of her mind in the face of her new goals, and she found a strange, new confidence growing inside of her.

“Hey!” She called out. “I thought you were going to show me what real pain looked like, not argue about money!”

Hidan and Kakuzu both looked to her, and if looks could have killed, Kakuzu would have ended her instantly. Hidan, however, seemed thrilled. 

“I  _ like _ this one. Alright, squirt, I’ll show you how it’s done. Just you sit right there and watch the judgment of God in action!” 

From there, several things happened in quick succession.

The first was that Hidan began to move his legs in a strange pattern. Sakura looked down just in time to notice that he was using his foot to manipulate the blood that had been dripping down from his wounds. He drew lines with the blood, one line, two, three, and then connected the lines by drawing a circle around the points. Sakura recognized the pattern as the same symbol that was hanging from the man’s neck.

Important, Sakura’s mind insisted. The symbol had importance.

Then, Hidan, drew his giant scythe from his back and turned to face Hiroshi.

The ensuing spat was short. Hiroshi had given up trying to put weapons into Hidan, and instead resorted to a slew of earth-style techniques in an attempt to bludgeon his opponent into submission. Hiroshi had slowed down, however, and every attempt to hit Hidan ended with failure as the man jumped and dodged his way closer.

Then, Hidan lashed out once with his scythe.

It wasn’t a fatal wound. It wasn’t even a major one. All Hidan had managed to do was nick Hiroshi, and from there Hidan backed off until he was standing in the middle of his blood circle again. Then, Hidan positioned his blade so that he could run his tongue along the bloodied edge.

Sakura had to gag a little at that. 

But her nausea was quickly forgotten as she watched Hidan’s skin begin to blacken, until almost all of it had completely darkened. There were a few white markings on his face and hands, but otherwise it looked as though Hidan had become a completely different person.

“You’ve been cursed.” He spoke to Hiroshi. “And now get ready to know God’s wrath!” 

Before Hiroshi could retaliate, Hidan reached into his coat and pulled forth a long, black spike. Then, to Sakura’s shock, Hidan stabbed the spike directly into his leg.

On the other side of the room, Hiroshi buckled and fell to one knee, moaning in agony.

Sakura paled as she realized what had just happened.

Not only was this man immortal, any damage that was done to him was being done to Hiroshi. It was an ultimate weapon. Hiroshi couldn’t attack. Fatal wounds would just lead to his own death, and if he tried to walk away, Hidan would just stab himself and end it in an instant. It was checkmate, and it was the most disturbed checkmate Sakura had ever seen in her life. Akatsuki was on an entirely different level of power than she’d realized. 

Hiroshi seemed to have at least put together how well and truly screwed he was. But rather than run, the man had decided to put up a last ditch effort at a fight. He summoned forth a rather large blade into the air, then fired it at Hidan with ferocious speed. Hidan didn’t bother dodging, (of  _ course _ he wouldn’t), but instead of embedding itself, the blade went straight through Hidan’s neck, causing his head to topple to the floor below.

_ Would that do it?  _ Sakura thought to herself. Being decapitated was different than being  _ stabbed _ , maybe this time things would be…

And there went Hiroshi’s head, also rolling on the floor. The damn jutsu applied to  _ decapitation _ too?

“Ah, fuck, he just had to get impatient.” The head on the floor,  _ somehow _ , began to speak. (And Sakura questioned how a head without lungs attached could find the function to speak at all, but this jutsu was already ridiculous enough, what was one  _ more _ ridiculous aspect?) “I can’t even enjoy the pain of the fucking death with my head off!”

“You should have been more careful.” Kakuzu commented, walking calmly over to Hiroshi’s corpse to pick up the fallen head. “But I’m grateful he made himself easy to carry.” With that, Kakuzu began to walk back towards the entrance of the room, straight past the body of his fallen comrade.

“Hey, don’t just walk off!” Hidan demanded. “Put my head back on, you ass!” 

“You should learn from your mistakes.” Kakuzu retorted. “I’ll put it back on once I turn this in.”

“Fuck you!” 

Kakuzu didn’t bother to respond further, turning around and leaving without another word.

Sakura still wasn’t quite sure what in hell was going on, but Hiroshi was dead and Akatsuki hadn’t seemed to realize that there was a Jinchuuriki standing right in front of them, so all in all, this was...a victory? But it didn’t really  _ feel _ like a victory. It just felt...weird.

“Hey. Hey pinkie.”

Sakura snapped back into focus. Hidan’s head wasn’t facing her, but clearly it was trying to still communicate. 

“Sakura…” Gaara seemed anxious, and Sakura didn’t blame him. She couldn’t fathom how  _ he _ was reacting to all of this; she was barely keeping it together. But...this was an opportunity. An opportunity she had to take.

“I know.” She answered him, reaching up to put a hand over his own on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”

“It’ll be okay if you could just move my head over to my neck.” Hidan added. “It’ll take a while to reattach without Kakuzu’s help but at least I’ll be able to finish my prayers. Religion has rules, you know, help a guy out?” 

She could try to kill him, Sakura thought to herself. Hidan’s body hadn’t moved at all since the decapitation, which meant that the head had to be attached for it to be a threat. And a head wasn’t much threat at all, was it? She could...dump the head in a river. Maybe drowning would work. But seeing that the man had survived decapitation was enough to make her think that maybe there wasn’t  _ anything _ that would work, nothing conventional anyway. She didn’t know how Hidan’s jutsu worked and there had to be some mechanic that she couldn’t deduce by just watching alone.

But she could get information in other ways.

“Trust me.” She whispered to Gaara, and without another word she went to Hidan’s head and pushed down her revulsion long enough to pick it up and move it over to where his body lay.

“Ugh,  _ thank _ you.” Hidan spoke as she pushed his neck up against the stump it had been cut from. (She ignored the disgusting noises the action produced... _ fuck _ this was gross.) “Listen, it’ll take me a little while to get through the rest of my prayers, but once I’m done and walking again, I’ll tell you about Jashin, alright?”

“Alright.” Sakura agreed. 

“Good. Now leave me alone, I have prayers to start.”

Sakura obliged, heading back to Gaara’s side on shaky legs. It began to sink in, the two wounds she’d suffered, the amount of chakra she’d expended on the fight, as well as just the sheer exhaustion that fear and fight brought onto a body after a long period of time. 

The last thing she remembered before passing out was Gaara’s worried face, and the last thought that went through her mind was that the two of them had to be the luckiest people alive.

 

-

 

Sakura dreamed of Sasuke.

They were disjointed dreams at first. Memories of their first D-ranked missions together, simple missions that hadn’t required much work, other than reigning in Naruto and keeping the two boys from spatting. They were happy dreams. Perhaps naively happy, but still...there was a certain sort of calmness that came from reliving those moments, a calmness she had not felt in... _ months _ , if she was to be honest with herself. And how could she be calm now? Not after all the three of them had been through together, not after Sasuke had…

And then the dream shifted, and she saw Sasuke with his back to her, his voice ringing in her ears.

“I’m not like the rest of you. We have different paths we must walk.”

But...they hadn’t been so different after all, had they? She’d left the village too, after everything, and Naruto before her. All three of them had left to gain something. Sasuke for power, Naruto for training, and her for…

Well, it had simply been information to start, but now there was so much  _ more _ to it, wasn’t there? She hadn’t just gained knowledge, she was gaining power too. Her dream changed, and she relived the thrill of pulling up the earth to her hand, of facing Hiroshi head on, only this time one punch was all that it took to make the man crumble away like sand. She felt  _ strong _ , she was getting  _ stronger _ , all because she’d made the decision to leave and never look back. 

But it didn’t feel  _ right _ .

Not the leaving part, anyway, but how it felt to see Hiroshi crumble beneath her fist into nothingness. She remembered the first time she had seen Sasuke overcome by Orochimaru’s curse mark in the Forest of Death, how  _ pleased _ he’d looked to be crushing his enemies beneath him, the sickening, crunching sound she’d heard as he’d broken the Sound shinobi’s arms with a single pull. He hadn’t been himself. He hadn’t been  _ right _ , but that was the power he’d been seeking out. The power to dominate his enemies.

That was the power Sakura had been instinctively been seeking, but as she continued to dream, continued to remember, she wondered if she was…

Wrong.

“You really are...annoying.”

 

-

 

_ Sasuke… _

 

-

 

Sakura awoke with a start, gasping as she sat up in the...bed? She had been in the fortress, fighting Hiroshi, and then Akatsuki had been there, and then…

She’d been unconscious. She groaned as she realized she’d passed out, of  _ course _ she’d passed out after all of that. She still wasn’t as strong as Sasuke or Naruto if she couldn’t handle one  _ stupid _ fight.

“Shukaku said you exhausted your chakra reserves.”

Sakura flinched as she heard a voice next to her. Gaara, just Gaara. So he’d been the one to move her to wherever this was. It looked like an inn, which meant that, for the moment, there likely wasn’t any danger.

“How long was I out?” She asked.

“Nine hours.” Gaara answered. “I...tried to help.” He looked down at his hand, a guilty expression on his face. “I wrapped up your leg.”

“Oh?” Sakura had almost forgotten her wounds, though as she looked down at her leg she became aware of a dull throb both there and at her shoulder. It had been wrapped well enough, however. (She hadn’t bled out, at the very least.) “Thanks.” She gave Gaara her biggest grin. “I...guess I kind of passed out on you, huh? I’m really sorry.”

“I should have been able to protect you.” Gaara replied. “But I wasn’t fast enough.”

“I wasn’t either. But I think if those two weirdos hadn’t shown up, we would have still won that fight.” One punch had broken Hiroshi’s jaw, and the resulting slam against the wall had broken ribs. Hidan had said so himself. Few people could keep fighting well after sustaining that sort of damage, and if she’d gotten one hit on him at full strength, she could have gotten another...assuming she hadn’t passed out from trying to pull off the earthen-fist move again. Chakra exhaustion, Gaara had said. She hadn’t felt tired, not until that moment when Hidan had told her to leave. Adrenaline had probably kept her going, but that wasn’t going to be good enough. She needed to improve her chakra reserves. She needed to-

Sakura took a breath. She was thinking too much. Right now, she needed to focus on right now. She was alive, Gaara was alive, Akatsuki hadn’t taken them, but she was wounded and she’d been unable to protect Gaara until she was recovered. There was no point in thinking about training or…

Getting stronger.

She lingered on the dream and on her thoughts, slowly pulling her legs up to her chest. “How is everyone else doing? Everyone in the town?”

“There were six casualties outside of our group.” Gaara answered. “But once that man walked out with Hiroshi’s head, his men seemed to lose the will to resist. I think now the town is attempting to work out who will take charge, now that Hiroshi is dead.”

“You mean, they still want to form a village separate from Sunagakure’s control?” Sakura concluded. “I’d thought they’d want to return to how things used to be with Hiroshi gone.”

But men came into power for a reason. Hiroshi was strong, but a united town could have stood against him and prevented him from taking power. People had wanted to follow him. People had wanted to split away from Sunagakure.

She’d helped take out a man who’d been abusing the people beneath him, but what if they elected someone just as bad as him? And if they did elect someone more suited to lead, did that mean she’d just aided a rebellion in Wind Country? 

This wasn’t like the Land of Waves. This wasn’t like the chuunin exams. It wasn’t just about being the strongest. Battles had consequences. Strength had consequences. She hadn’t considered the possibility that Akatsuki might just  _ suddenly _ show up at her battle. She hadn’t considered that her battle against Hiroshi might lead the rise of someone equally strong or terrible. 

And, come to think of it, she doubted Sasuke or Naruto thought of those things either.

Well, maybe Sasuke had thought a  _ little _ . He didn’t seem to care about the future consequence of Orochimaru taking over his body, but there were other consequences that had followed his leaving. His retrieval squad had nearly died. Konoha had lost, in him, a valuable shinobi, the last of a clan. By going to Otogakure, by going to Orochimaru for his own pursuits, he had weakened the village of his birth, even if only by just a little bit. 

Naruto as well, and even the sage Jiraiya who had taken him away from the village...he’d taken Naruto away to train him, and potentially to keep him safe from Akatsuki’s prying eyes, but even that meant that Konoha was short another shinobi that could aid them in missions, in protecting the village.

And she…

She too, Sakura realized. She too had left without thinking of consequences. In the back of her mind she had realized she was acting rashly, acting just for herself and for the sake of her teammates, but even she hadn’t  _ really _ thought about what her leaving meant for all of the people she’d left behind.

She had been selfish. Gaara had been selfish too. And Sasuke, and maybe, even if subconsciously, Naruto. 

There was no undoing that she’d left. There was no undoing that she’d convinced Gaara to leave with her. And maybe she was still selfish, but she didn’t  _ want _ to go back to the village. She hadn’t learned anything being there, not compared to these few weeks she’d spent away. But just because she’d been selfish, and would continue to be selfish, didn’t mean she couldn’t still learn from her mistakes and help those she cared about. Not just Naruto and Sasuke, not just Gaara, but her entire village. Every village.

Hidan had promised to tell her everything about Jashin, and she was going to listen. If she could, she would pry every bit of information about Hidan and Akatsuki from the man that he had. And once that was done, she was going to find a way to send a message directly to Tsunade telling her everything that she’d learned.

She couldn’t bring herself to return to Konoha, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon it either. She could be both, she decided. A missing-nin and an informant. An asset without tying herself to the mediocrity she would have resigned herself to by staying.

_ We have different paths we must walk. _

Sasuke had been right. Sakura had never been the type of person to seek out power for power’s sake. She wasn’t an avenger. She wasn’t the one who would beat Sasuke to a pulp just to return him to the village. She was something different.

But that didn’t mean she was weaker. That didn’t mean she still couldn’t become strong.

“Sakura?”

Startled from her thoughts, Sakura looked over to Gaara. She’d never seen so much worry from the boy before. It was...touching.

“I’m just thinking.” She explained. “Thinking about what I’m doing out here. What I want to do. And I think I figured something out, I guess. Even if we were strong enough to defeat Hiroshi, that’s not really the point, is it? You don’t want to be a killer anymore, and I don’t want to be that either. And I think...running in without thinking like Naruto and Sasuke do, that’s just not going to work for me. So I think I’m going to start approaching things differently, that’s all. I think the two of us can figure out a way to be strong and help others without being like everyone else.”

“The two of us.” Gaara looked downwards, smiling in a sheepish way. “Because we’re friends.”

“Not just friends. We’re a team, right?”

“A team.” Gaara nodded in agreement. “So where do we go from here?”

“Anywhere. Everywhere. We’ll still keep following my travel plan from before, I think, but before that...well, I know it’s dangerous, but I really want to hear what that Hidan guy has to say. The more we find out about our enemies, the better prepared we’ll be. Plus, I don’t think they recognized you’re a Jinchuuriki.”

“No, they didn’t seem to.” 

“So I think if we just play it dumb, we might be able to get something good out of this.” Sakura gingerly began to move her leg, wondering if she could even stand. “We can...call you by a different name so they don’t connect you with any information they might already have on you. And assuming we get away with that without any trouble, we get the hell out of here so they can’t find us again.”

It was reckless, yes, but Sakura had goals and purposes that she needed to stick to. Gaara, thankfully, seemed simply happy to be along for the ride. Did he have goals of his own, she wondered? He wanted to protect her, that much she had deduced, but surely even he had something more he strived for?

She’d have to find out, she decided. But for now, her immediate objective was Hidan.

  
  


By the time the pain in her leg had subsided enough to walk, about a day had passed. Gaara had brought her food when she needed it, and several of the village shinobi had come by to thank her for helping put an end to Hiroshi. As the first day ended, a woman by the name of Satomi had been elected to run the village until they ‘got things back together’. (Though Sakura was fairly certain the woman would probably stay in the position for good.) Satomi seemed decent enough. She had been one of the few to become immediately proficient in the Earth Wall technique, so she’d likely be strong enough to keep those who’d been loyal to Hiroshi in check. Sakura found herself liking her the more she spent time around her, not to mention that it was nice seeing a woman in charge. If this village did decide to permanently form as the Village Hidden in the Plains, and if Satomi was picked as its Kage, that would mean that two of the Kage in the world were women! Sakura was biased of course, but there had been very few women shinobi of note in her history books, which just meant...maybe some things were changing for the better.

On the second day, the village threw a small feast in celebration of their victory, as well as a memorial service for the thirteen shinobi that had passed. It was during the feast that Sakura saw Hidan again. His head had reattached, not showing any sign that it had been removed hours before, and the only indication that he had been in a battle at all were the cuts in his robe from where he’d been stabbed.

“Hey pinkie, I’m fuckin’ starved.” He announced, moving to sit down right next to her at her table. Sakura felt small grains of sand move across her skin as Gaara became protective, but for now, at least, Hidan didn’t seem to be a threat. “You think they’ll give me some food too? I’m the one who chopped that guy’s head off, anyway.”

“Um, yeah probably.” Sakura gestured to the table. “It’s all pick what you want anyway. Just grab a plate.”

“ _ Fuuuuuuck  _ yes.” Hidan immediately did so, piling his plate high with just about everything he could reach. In a strange way, the man sort of reminded her of Naruto. Boisterous, brash, definitely with eyes bigger than his stomach.

It was weird seeing a member of Akatsuki act so... _ human _ .

Sakura turned back to her own food, trying to remain calm and casual about the man next to her. Gaara was still on edge, she could practically feel it, but this was the opportunity she’d been looking for. Her chance for information. So she waited, waited until Hidan’s plate was about halfway empty and he’d slowed down he eating, and then she made her move.

“So I think you promised me a talk about Jashin?”

“Mm?” Hidan turned to her, mouth full of food. After a moment, he quickly swallowed, an eager look appearing on his face. “You really wanna listen, huh? I don’t blame you, after seeing Jashin’s power up close. His will is  _ awesome _ isn’t it?” He laughed, seemingly cheered just by talking about his god. Sakura supposed she couldn’t blame him. (Not if one’s god made you  _ invincible _ .)

“I’ll admit, you certainly showed some abilities that blew me away.” Sakura answered. That, at least, was the honest truth. “So your god gave you those abilities, then? I don’t really know that many religious shinobi. You’d think there’d be more, seeing what your god has done for you.”

“Well, it’s not quite as easy as believing.” Hidan gave a small shrug. “I had to sacrifice a lot to gain Jashin’s favor. His religion is pretty damn strict. Lots of prayers, devotionals, rituals, and...well, I’ve killed a  _ lot _ of people. You don’t get Jashin’s blessing overnight, you know. But hey, conversion is the first step.” 

“I guess that makes sense.” Prayers? Devotionals? Well, it didn’t  _ really _ make sense. If immortality was just a matter of devotion,  _ everyone _ would be doing it. There had to be more to it. Killing a lot of people...well, she supposed not  _ everyone _ could do that, but by that standard Gaara should have found immortality by now and she knew for certain that wasn’t the case. Some combination of devotion and killing, and accepting the existence of... _ god _ ? Sakura certainly wasn’t religious, and she hadn’t been lying when she said she didn’t know anyone who was. 

Well, that didn’t mean she couldn’t pretend, for information’s sake.

“So how  _ does _ one convert?”

“I’m  _ so _ glad you asked.” Hidan answered gleefully. “Well, true conversion requires years of learning from some of the elders, but you have to be accepted first. And acceptance requires reaching our church, which is a  _ long _ way from here. But you look like you’ve got enough spunk to find them. That Hiroshi guy was  _ so _ fucked up by the time I got to him, there really wasn’t any pleasure in killing him at all.”

“R-really? He didn’t look that bad.”

“Trust me, I could feel his pain. He was fucked. I’m almost sorry I had to deny you such a kill, but...well, I hadn’t had a kill of my own in so damn long, I was sure Jashin would have been pissed if I hadn’t jumped on it.” Hidan shoveled another piece of food into his mouth as he talked, not even bothering to swallow as he continued. “Jashin demands nothing less than the total annihilation of one’s foes. So as long as you keep that in mind, you’ll always be following his will, alright?”

“Right.” Sakura turned to her own food. (This man was  _ crazy _ , this  _ religion _ was crazy, and here she was, about to dig deeper.) “But why would Jashin make it so that you have to harm yourself to harm others?”

“See, that’s the crux of it.” Hidan finally swallowed his food, now, for the first time, looking very serious. “Jashin is the Lord of Pain. Pain is something that all life forms experience in one way or another. Pain is what defines us as people. How can you possibly hope to understand someone fully until you understand the pains they’ve been through?”

Sakura blinked, and her mind seemed to freeze.

This...this, out of everything, made sense.

Hidan continued to lecture, but Sakura’s mind had already begun to wander, wander to her dream, her time with Sasuke, her  _ failures _ with Sasuke. Sasuke had left because nobody in the village had understood him and what he had felt was necessary for him to do.

Sasuke had left because nobody had understood his  _ pain _ .

And if she’d understood, if she’d been able to even glimpse a tiny piece of what he’d been through...would she have been able to stop him? Save him, even?

“So yeah, you can say that the only way to truly understand the consequences of killing a man is to experience his death right alongside him. You simultaneously experience the passion of an ultimate victory and the despair of an ultimate defeat. The experience is honestly pretty overwhelming, I can’t even begin to describe it.” Hidan hadn’t stopped chatting, though it was only now that Sakura had pulled herself from her thoughts enough to tune in. “I know I’m rambling but there’s just so  _ much _ to explain, and I-”

“I get it.” Sakura spoke. “I think...I think I get it. You’re saying Jashin wants us to understand each other on every level. Not just in happiness, but...in everything.”

“You got it, pinkie.”

“But then why completely destroy your foe? It seems a waste. You finally fully understand them, but then they’re not around anymore. It seems like a contradiction.” Sakura hadn’t  _ really _ intended to engage in religious debate, but, well, here she went. “You comprehend them just to eliminate them?”

“You kill them to further your own understanding of life and death. Shinobi are killers, but how can you really understand the consequences of your actions unless you experience them firsthand? It’s easy to be a passive player on the sidelines, you know. You can be an emotionless killing machine and never think twice about the lives you take, but for worshippers of Jashin, every life means something. Every foe is an intimate experience. You don’t just kill for no reason like some mindless animal, you have to know, deep in your heart, that killing them is what you want to do. What you  _ have _ to do. And if your heart’s only halfway in it, that’s just a disrespect to your enemy. Jashinists don’t half-ass anything. That’s why it’s taken me killing so many people to get to this point, to this reward. I understand death better than anybody, and don’t you let that fucker Kakuzu tell you any different, alright?”

“Alright.” Sakura’s mind had started to go numb, processing all of this. She didn’t agree with everything, not by a long shot, but still...some of it was…

She swallowed hard. Well, it wouldn’t have been a very good conversion speech if it wasn’t somewhat convincing, right? This Hidan was terrifying, definitely some sort of sado-masochist, but he’d worked his lecture out. She couldn’t help but admire his conviction, and she couldn’t help but regret that…

Well, they were enemies, even if he didn’t know it. And now Sakura found herself hesitating even further. This wasn’t just a man who was good at killing, he was a man who found  _ thrill _ in it. Regardless of how legitimate this Jashin was, Hidan was a force of nature, both in action and in speech. 

She was  _ so _ up shit creek without a paddle, trying desperately to stay afloat. This was just one member of Akatsuki.  _ One member _ . And it was all she could do to keep herself from  _ agreeing _ with some of his points. 

“So...what do I have to do, to get accepted? Other than just getting to your church.”

“Still interested in converting? Excellent, this goddamn trip to the middle of nowhere wasn’t a fucking waste after all.” Hidan began to fish around in the pouch at his hip, stopping only when he pulled out what looked to be another necklace. It was a thin black cord, and hanging off of it was a pendant with the exact same symbol that Hidan wore around his neck. “You gotta wear this, otherwise they’re just gonna kill you on sight. Plus, you can start saying some prayers to Jashin with it, you know, get yourself in the habit. Remember everything I told you and look for this symbol when you reach Yugakure, alright? You’ll make it as long as you remember.” Sakura took the symbol, examining it as Hidan shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth.

A circle with an upside down triangle. A simple symbol, one she’d certainly never seen before now. She hesitantly put it around her neck, solely to please the murderer next to her. He seemed happy enough that she’d listened to the lecture, so maybe she could press a little more.

“So, are those the robes of your church? The red clouds.”

“Oh,  _ fuck _ no, these damn robes are another thing I got dragged into by those sons of bitches.” Hidan answered. “Can’t really talk too much about that though, sorry. Honest to God, if you see anyone else from these robes, I’d stay clear, alright? There’s some tough bastards involved in this and you’re way too fuckin’ fresh to deal with them.”

“Right.” Sakura nodded. Damn. He was smart enough to keep what he knew on the down low. “Got it. Yugakure for your church. Stay away from red clouds.”

“Smart kid.” Hidan suddenly reached out, and Sakura’s hand had strayed towards the kunai at her belt before she realized that Hidan was just... _ ruffling her hair _ . The maniac. “I look forward to seeing you all initiated when I see you next, alright?”

“Alright, alright!” Sakura reached up to push away the man’s hand, frowning. “I’ll remember what you told me.”

“Good. Well, I need to catch up with that motherfucker Kakuzu and give him a lecture. Tell these guys thanks for the food.” With that, Hidan stood, initially looking like he was about to leave. But as he passed Sakura he stopped, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“Oh, and by the way...there’s been someone watching you this whole time, up in the trees. Might be a good someone to start learning Jashin’s lessons on, hm?”

Sakura let out a small shiver. “Right. Thanks for the tip.”

Hidan left without another word.

It took Sakura several minutes to calm down from the anxiety that had frozen up her body. Hidan was a terrifying bastard, someone had been  _ watching _ her this whole time, and poor Gaara looked as though he’d suffered several heart attacks just listening in on the conversation. She hadn’t learned anything new about Akatsuki itself, but she’d learned  _ way _ more about Jashinism than she’d wanted to, and now she had a small lead. Yugakure. 

She didn’t know whether to feel satisfied or afraid, and in this particular case, well, maybe she’d just have to let herself be both. 

“Gaara.” She whispered.

“Yes?”

“There’s a lot I need to process here, but before we do any of that…”

She sent out a small pulse of her sensing jutsu. There were shinobi everywhere, almost enough to distract her from anything strange, but with focus she realized that, behind her, up in the trees,  _ someone _ was lying in wait. Watching. Observing. And hiding their chakra so well that she almost missed it.

“We’ve got a job to do.” Sakura finished. “Well, maybe like fifty jobs to do. But one that’s a bit more pressing than the others.”

Gaara smirked. 

“When do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to Jashin.
> 
> I didn't mean to write such a long chapter but I doubt any of you will complain. There's shit all to go on regarding Jashinism as a religion, so lots of Liberties have been taken. This is only the beginning of such liberties. Naruto canon is...something else.
> 
> On a different note, I make music playlists for lots of things, including writing, and I've been working on a SBATC playlist. If people are interested, maybe I'll upload it somewhere for the next chapter.))


	19. Chapter 19

“I spy with my little eye, something that is... _ green _ .”

Gaara looked over to her with a confused expression, and Sakura realized that, considering the boy’s childhood, he might not have ever played silly games like I Spy. “It’s for passing the time on the road.” She explained. “I look around for something and I tell you what color it is, and you have to guess what it is I’m looking it.”

Gaara’s face wrinkled as he thought harder on this concept. “But Sakura...we’re surrounded by nothing but grass.”

“Makes it a challenge, doesn’t it? Was I bold enough to choose the grass? Or is there something green that you missed?” 

The real Gaara might not have spent so much time debating this, but, Sakura reminded herself, she was speaking with a sand clone, and unlike Naruto’s clones (virtually indistinguishable from the original), Gaara’s clones were a bit lacking in the thought department. But this was fine. She wasn’t walking through acres of grass with a sand clone because she’d wanted intellectual stimulation. The clone was a distraction. Someone, according to a sadistic Akatsuki member, was following the two of them, and Sakura had more than confirmed it with several sensing pulses back in the Plains village. Neither she nor Gaara had any solid guesses as to who that someone could be, but what they had come up with was a rather simple plan to catch this watcher and figure things out straight up. 

Once Sakura had fully recovered from her injuries fighting Hiroshi, the two of them solidified their plans to continue northward to Iwagakure, looking for other Jinchuuriki. They’d packed their things, and Sakura and a sand clone had left the inn, heading north.

The real Gaara, someone who Sakura knew from experience was almost impossible to detect when he was trying to be stealthy, stayed behind. And why would their attacker think anything of the situation. Hidan had whispered the revelation into Sakura’s ear, and she’d kept her planning with Gaara down to the most careful whispers. Hopefully, their watcher wasn’t aware that they knew of their existence, which meant they had no reason to believe that the Gaara walking next to Sakura wasn’t a carefully crafted clone. 

And all Sakura had to do was play casual while the  _ real _ Gaara located the watcher and caught them. 

“Is it the grass?” Gaara’s clone finally decided.

“Nope.” Sakura said with a grin. “I bet you’ll never guess it.”

“Hm.” Gaara’s frustration was...somewhat adorable to watch. There was really only one other thing than the grass that was green out here, and Sakura was willing to bet the clone didn’t think of it before the real Gaara did his job. She stretched, partly because she wanted to, and partly because stretching was a good way to conceal a quick hand-sign that would allow her to send out a sensing pulse. Sure enough, there were two chakra signatures behind her, one slightly closer than the other. Their watcher, and Gaara, catching up. Only a matter of time.

She readied herself, in case the watcher proved difficult. She’d sharpened her kunai and shuriken, but if there  _ was _ a spat, there was something else she was itching to try. She’d successfully managed to coat her fist in rock during her fight with Hiroshi, and the resulting punch had been  _ oh _ so satisfying. Sakura had decided relatively quickly that she was going to master that move, use it like second nature, improve upon it if she could. The Rock Fist was going to be  _ her _ Chidori. Only cooler. She’d find a way to make it cooler. 

Sakura was startled by her thoughts by a small yelp of surprise, and the sound of rushing sand. She turned around just in time to see Gaara encasing a writhing  _ someone _ in a thick layer of sand. Well then. That had been... _ way _ easier than expected. 

But hell, she’d settle for an easy win at this point. 

“Nice, Gaara!” She called out, rushing over to join him as Gaara’s clone faded into the earth. The person entrapped in the sand had stopped struggling...or rather had lost the  _ ability _ to struggle, which was perfect. They couldn’t use jutsu if they couldn’t move their hands, right? Though Sakura  _ was _ actively learning to cast jutsu without hand signs. She drew a kunai, just in case. Better to be prepared.

The person was masked, she realized as she approached. Their hair was short and black, and anything else she could see (not covered in sand) was simple dark clothing, nothing special. Very ordinary. Only the mask really stood out, and Sakura got the feeling she’d seen a similar sort of mask before.

It came to her all at once, and she couldn’t prevent herself from letting out an audible gasp as she put two and two together.

“You’re an  _ Anbu _ agent!” 

The Anbu was silent, staring at her through the mask with an almost cold indifference. Sakura knew that Anbu were elite shinobi, and having caught one so easily was enough to make her gleeful. She wasn’t just getting stronger, she and Gaara were getting  _ smarter _ . Not even an  _ Anbu _ had seen this coming. 

But, perhaps the more important question, why was an Anbu agent following them in the first place? 

“Can your sand disarm him?” She asked Gaara. “Take away his weapons, tools, anything he has on him? Or maybe you can just restrain him and I can do it.”

Gaara opted for restraining, and once the Anbu’d had their arms tied behind their back with thick sand, Sakura began to rifle through the pouches on their belt. There were standard shinobi tools: kunai, shuriken, wire...but in even more abundance were what looked to be scrolls, ink pots, and brushes. It was clear that this shinobi was a specialist in information gathering, as a couple of the scrolls held detailed accounts of herself, Gaara, and the scenes that the Anbu had been witness to. She kept hold of those scrolls; no point in letting the Anbu send out anything else that could let others know of their location or plans. However, what was curious was that the majority of the Anbu’s scrolls were blank, and there was at least a dozen of them. How much information had the Anbu hoped to gather? One of the scrolls, that had been tied to the shinobi’s back, was almost three feet long. Was that one  _ really  _ for writing down information? 

The Anbu only had one other noteworthy possession, and as Sakura took hold of it and began to flip it open, for the first time the shinobi began to struggle.

“Don’t touch that.” The Anbu warned.

“Well now I really wanna touch it.” Sakura replied in turn, looking at the first couple pages. They were...drawings? 

Yes, drawings. Dozens of them. The book seemed to tell two stores: one starting from the front and heading towards the middle, the other starting at the back and heading in reverse towards the middle. They were drawings of shinobi, one light haired, one dark, looking to be defeating various foes on various battlefields. The end, the middle of the book, perhaps when the two shinobi would have met, was completely blank. An unfinished story? How curious. Perhaps it was the Anbu’s pet project, something to complete while waiting for something interesting to happen. She showed the book to Gaara, which only seemed to make the Anbu more on edge. 

“Who are these shinobi? Did you make them up?” Sakura asked, flipping through the book a second time. “These drawings are actually really good.”

“It’s not important.” The Anbu answered.

“Okay, well, sorry for looking through your personal stuff, but you  _ have _ been following us. We have every right to try and figure out why.” She held onto the book. The Anbu seemed attached to it, and the logical part of her brain figured the Anbu might be willing to  _ cooperate _ for it. “So, are you going to tell us why you’ve followed two low rank missing-nin across the country to the northern border of Suna?” 

The Anbu was silent. Sakura hadn’t thought so. 

Which was unfortunate, because Sakura really wasn’t an ‘interrogation’ kind of person, and while she didn’t have much doubt that Gaara could be intimidating when he wanted, he’d been trying to get away from that sort of attitude, so it was best not to encourage it. Which meant that unless they could convince the Anbu to talk, they wouldn’t get much out of them. 

Which was...fine, she supposed. She now knew that Konoha was interested enough in them to send Anbu, either because of the fact that somehow they’d caught wind that Gaara was with her, or because Konoha was still under the impression that she was headed to Sasuke and wanted to learn where the Uchiha’s location was. It was either that or the very  _ very _ slim possibility that Konoha wanted to know what  _ she _ was up to, but Sakura wasn’t quite at the mental point to convince herself that it was a  _ real _ possibility. 

With the Anbu disarmed, and the fact that Gaara had so easily nabbed him, Sakura didn’t feel too threatened. (And boy, what a weird feeling that was, not being threatened by a Konoha elite.) So she decided that maybe it was time to take a small gamble.

“I’m keeping all this.” She told the Anbu, gesturing to the scrolls he had written on already. “But I’ll let you have the other stuff back, and I’ll even have Gaara let you go. But that’s if you can meet one condition for me.”

More silence. Good  _ god _ , even Gaara was chattier than this once.

“It’s nothing you probably wouldn’t want to do anyway.” Sakura admitted, taking one of the scrolls and grabbing a brush to write. “I want to send a message to the Hokage, and you’d probably have the best way of doing that. Either that, or I have to wait until we reach Iwa and hope they’ll let us use an eagle or something.” She began writing down everything she remembered of Hidan and Kakuzu, including physical descriptions, Hidan’s disturbing jutsu, and the information on Jashin she’d been provided with.

(She was still wearing that necklace Hidan had given her. No reason not to, she figured, especially if they happened to run across another Jashinist in the future.) 

“I think this would be considered S-ranked information?” She pondered aloud. “It’s information she definitely needs to know. So, if you promise to send it her way, I’ll let you go. And...I guess you’ll probably still follow us, huh?” Which meant that the Anbu would just rewrite the scrolls Sakura had taken, still get the information out...and she didn’t even know how much the Anbu had  _ already  _ sent, if anything. Short of killing them or breaking their legs, she couldn’t stop them from following her and Gaara, but there was a part of her that figured that Konoha knowing her movements wasn’t necessarily the worst fate in the world. She knew Tsunade was merciful, and she hadn’t  _ really _ betrayed the village or done anything super dire. Just...run off.

Tsunade had run off, once. Maybe she’d understand.

“Ah, fuck it.” She put the filled scrolls back in the pile with the blank ones. “I’ll give back these two, there’s no stopping you from sending them out. I really just want you to send mine. Can you please do that?”

“...I’m capable of sending it.”

“You have very  _ conveniently _ not agreed to anything.” Sakura pointed out. “I could ask Gaara to just leave you here covered in sand. Do you know how often people pass by here? Probably never. You’d just die out here, alone in the sand, your tools out of reach…”

“I’ll send it.”

“Perfect.” Sakura giggled as she wrapped up her own scroll. She wasn’t a good intimidator, no, but it was still kinda fun to do it. “Okay, here’s everything. Gaara, go ahead and let them out.”

“You’re sure?”

“I mean, if they try anything, just put them in sand time-out again.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Gaara, and the sand pulled itself away from the Anbu and back onto Gaara’s back. The Anbu froze for a moment, watching Sakura and Gaara with a wary gaze before slowly reaching out to grab their things. When they were done, they reached towards Sakura, wanting the book she was holding.

“Hmm...this?” She held the book out to the Anbu, but at the last minute pulled it away. “Oh, wait, I forgot to say. You only get this back if you tell me what I want to know. Why you’re following us and all that.”

The Anbu lunged forward, and Sakura quickly moved back, saved from the Anbu’s reach only due to Gaara’s sand catching his arm just in time. 

“You heard her.” Gaara spoke. “You won’t get it back until you talk.”

The Anbu pulled against the sand, and Gaara let go only when the Anbu moved away from Sakura. The Anbu rubbed their wrist before continuing to move away, eventually disappearing in a flurry of leaves and grass. 

Sakura rolled her eyes before sending out a sensing pulse. The Anbu was still near, behind her now, and she gestured to Gaara just in time for her partner to intercept another swiping attempt. The Anbu tried twice more, disappearing and reappearing in flashes almost too quick for Sakura to keep up with, before giving up and retreating to a spot some distance away. 

“Guess they don’t want it too badly then.” Sakura said to Gaara with a small shrug. “The offer still stands. I’ll just hold onto this until then.” She pocketed the book, turning to Gaara with a smile. “Well, guess that means we just keep moving on to Iwa. Plus an extra new friend.”

“They don’t seem like a friend.”

“They haven’t killed us, so that’s a friend in my book at the moment.”

They began to walk again, heading north with the Anbu trailing at a close distance behind them. After a moment, Gaara spoke again.

“So...what had been the green you’d seen?”

“Your eyes.” Sakura answered with a smirk. “I told you you’d never guess it.”

“Oh.” 

It was so quick she nearly missed it, but for the first time, Sakura saw Gaara blush slightly. 

 

-

 

It was a day of traveling before Sakura saw the familiar sight of forests. It was nostalgic in a way that made her ache for the trees of home, and beyond that her bedroom, her parents, her familiar restaurants, Naruto, Sasuke…

It also meant that she was now more in her element. She knew how to survive in the woods, knew how to use trees and brush to make shelter, knew how to use this sort of environment to her advantage in combat. The earth was harder and more difficult to manipulate, but that just meant more training for her.

Of course, she had very little time to train. When she wasn’t traveling, and sometimes even when she  _ was _ traveling, she was dodging the Anbu’s attempts to reclaim their favorite book. 

At first it had started with simple attempts. The Anbu used brute speed and stealth to try and sneak up on Sakura, and Sakura was forced to use a constant combination of her sensing jutsu, her (somewhat improved) physical abilities, and, as a failsafe, Gaara’s sand to keep the book out of the Anbu’s hands. It was her one bargaining chip, and she wasn’t going to give it up without a struggle. Plus, in a strange way, these retrieval attempts were training in and of themselves. With each attempt, Sakura found herself relying less and less on Gaara to bail her out.

That was, of course, until they hit day four in the woods, and the Anbu began to use the Beasts.

She didn’t know how else to refer to them. What she did know is that the Anbu would draw onto blank scrolls with ink, and with a single hand sign would cause the drawings to come to life, serving whatever purpose they had (somehow) programmed into them. The first time she had seen the technique, the Anbu had drawn up several birds that had grasped onto scrolls and flown away with them. Convenient for an information gatherer, and Sakura had been happy to note that her own scroll had been among them. 

The next time the Beasts were called forward, they were against her.

At first the Anbu tried brute strength, summoning large tigers and wolves to attempt to overwhelm her. Sakura had rather enjoyed that challenge. It gave her an opportunity to practice using her Rock Fist, which, when she pulled it off, proved more than sufficient to destroy whatever was sent her way. It was exhaustive to use the technique at first, but with time Sakura knew her chakra reserves would grow and she could really make the technique her own. 

The Anbu got sneakier over time, distracting Sakura with larger Beasts while sending smaller Beasts to crawl up her legs and attempt to grab the book. Gaara had caught onto this first, batting them away with a bit of sand, but afterwards Sakura had done her best to keep them on her mind and look out for them. 

As she got better and better at dodging the Anbu’s attempts, that led to more and more times where she and Gaara had time to just walk, which Gaara began to take advantage of. Perhaps it had been triggered by the I-Spy game, but Gaara began to ask...questions. Mundane questions, at first. Did all Konoha shinobi know about the I-Spy game? Was it a tactical game meant to teach young shinobi to spot objects that were out of place? What other games had she played as a child? What things did she like? Dislike? It seemed there was no end to the questions Gaara could think up, and Sakura got the vague suspicion that this was the first time he’d ever felt comfortable asking these questions of anyone. Maybe, in a strange way, he was experiencing childhood vicariously through her by her own descriptions of her past. Sakura made sure to be as detailed as she could in her answers, which seemed to bring Gaara some amount of happiness. 

More importantly, it solidified the idea in her mind that Gaara was a  _ friend _ . She wasn’t even certain Ino had known as much about her as Gaara learned in a week of travel, and when she was younger, Ino had known  _ everything _ . 

But Ino didn’t know about a lot of her time out of the Academy. She didn’t know about Naruto and Sasuke and how they’d slowly worked towards functioning as a team, learning to trust each other, growing stronger, passing the chuunin exams…

Ino hadn’t known the heartache that Sakura had felt when Sasuke began to grow apart from them.

But she could tell Gaara about it, she realized, and maybe it wasn’t a property of Gaara specifically, but rather that she  _ wanted _ to talk about it, and especially talk about it with someone who wasn’t promising to fix things, wasn’t sugarcoating the fact that Sasuke had left and she hadn’t been able to do anything to stop him...Gaara just listened and understood. 

(And the ache that she’d carried on her way out of Konoha, that ache to see Sasuke again, wasn’t quite as strong as it used to be.) 

When Sakura was in the depths of these conversations, pouring her heart out to Gaara, she noticed that the Anbu’s book rescue attempts came to an abrupt halt. They were listening, perhaps, maybe taking notes, maybe trying to find something to use against her. Whatever the case, it almost served to encourage her to talk about herself more. Anything to get a break from defending herself, for a while. 

But if they had the patience to listen, the desire to listen...maybe Sakura could try a different approach to the Anbu problem.

After a week had passed, as she and Gaara settled down at the edge of a small lake to make camp, Sakura took the Anbu’s book out of her pouch and held it up just enough that she knew the Anbu could see.

“Hey, Anbu!”

The Anbu landed on the other side of her newly made campfire, smart enough to be wary of her sudden change in strategy. Sakura kept the book out, but kept it close. She wasn’t giving it back yet. But she did need to talk.

“You know, if you’re going to be following us, you don’t have to camp on your own. We’re not enemies, so why don’t we just stick together?”

The Anbu was silent, so Sakura reached out for one of her freshly caught fish and put it on a stick. She then held it out to the Anbu.

“You can use our fire.” She offered. “I haven’t poisoned it, I promise.” 

The Anbu reached out, at first towards the fish, before lunging once again for the book. Sakura simply pulled it out of arm’s reach, rolling her eyes.

“I’m still not giving this back until you’re willing to talk.” 

Then, the Anbu did something she did not expect. They removed their mask.

The Anbu was...a boy, and what was surprising was that he looked to be about her age. His face had a sort of prettiness that reminded her vaguely of Sasuke, though his eyes didn’t hold the same kind of fire that the Uchiha was known for. Instead, he seemed almost...blank.

He then stuck out his tongue, which Sakura found odd at first until the light of the fire shone on it just right and Sakura could a strange, black tattoo that had been branded onto the back half of the boy’s tongue.

“Is that a seal?” She asked. The boy nodded.

“It looks like a silencing seal.” Gaara piped in. “I’ve seen them before, back in Suna. If someone tries to speak about whomever gave them the seal, it can paralyze them. Or kill them.”

“Oh.” Sakura made a face at this. Would the Hokage use such an awful technique? That didn’t seem like Tsunade’s work at all. And if it hadn’t been Tsunade…

“You’re not working for the Hokage.” She deduced.

The boy nodded.

“You’re working for someone else in Konoha. Someone I probably don’t know of who’s probably very powerful.”

The boy nodded again.

“And if you talk about them, you die or you get paralyzed. By proxy, of course that means...you can’t talk about why you were sent, because that involves talking about the person you work for.”

The boy nodded a third time. 

“Well, shit.” Sakura sighed before holding the book out to the Anbu. “Guess that means this is useless as a bargaining chip. Why didn’t you just show me that earlier?”

The Anbu snatched the book away, but did not respond. It was Gaara instead who answered for him.

“He underestimated you. He thought he could take it without revealing he wasn’t working for the Hokage.”

Ah. Now that made sense. So she’d gained  _ some _ information out of this, even if it wasn’t everything. Someone other than Tsunade was looking for information on her and Gaara. It was someone powerful enough to command an Anbu agent, and skilled enough to know a sealing jutsu to prevent their agent from talking. The mystery grew deeper, and Sakura got a strong sense of foreboding as she thought about the implications of what she’d just learned. 

But it wasn’t as though she could do much about it. The boy was under orders, and she’d already decided that she wasn’t going to kill him, and that meant that his mysterious leader was going to know about her and Gaara. The leader didn’t seem to want her dead or captured or brought back, at least, which suited her just fine. Let this mysterious figure know about her. She would still complete her goals and her journey, and one Anbu agent wasn’t going to stop her.

Instead, Sakura decided, she was going to keep to her alternate approach.

“Do you have a name?” She asked, holding the speared fish out to the boy once again. “Something I can call you other than just Anbu?”

It was hesitant, slow, but the boy took the fish and allowed himself a small bite. After swallowing, he shook his head.

“I wasn’t allowed a name.”

“What? That’s complete shit!” Sakura protested. “How can you not have a name? How the hell do you keep track of every Anbu agent if they don’t have names?”

“We have code names. Sometimes false names as the need arises.” 

“Then give me one of those.”

“Nineteen.” The boy began, reciting the names as if they were a common list. “Ink. Tiger. Sai.”

“Sai.” Sakura focused on that one. It seemed more a name than ‘nineteen’ or ‘tiger’ anyway. “How about we call you Sai? And my offer still stands, you can camp with us, if you want.” 

The boy continued to eat the fish, not talking, not saying a word for the rest of the night. But in the morning, when she and Gaara cleaned up their camp and continued to walk, Sai walked alongside them, his mask kept slung on his hip. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to the amount of time and effort I've spent explaining the plot of Naruto to people who have never read or watched Naruto. The more you talk about it, the stranger it gets. It's like an exponential curve of weird plot design.
> 
> This update is early because I have Motivation! And also because I will probably be posting the next Intermission sometime this weekend. When that chapter goes up, I'll also put up the first of my SBATC playlists for ya'll.))


	20. Three's a Drag (Intermissions Part Four)

Across the burning, blistering sands, moving so fast that he was but a blur against the background, Kakashi Hatake ran north. 

 

-

 

Elsewhere, in a similar burst of desperation, Naruto Uzumaki soared through the trees that surrounded his home, not even bothering to stop as he reached the gates of the mighty village of Konoha. The two chuunin guards posted at the gates saw nothing but an orange blur as the shinobi rushed by them. 

(What they  _ heard _ was a somewhat rushed shouting that sounded like “hiimbackandimgoingtoseethehokagedonttellthepervwhereiwent”.) 

(When it came to Naruto, this sort of behavior wasn't necessarily unusual.) 

The energy of the Kyuubi still pulsed through Naruto as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Naruto didn't think he'd ever channeled the fox this long before, but it had served him well, as he hadn't needed to stop once during his day and a half long sprint. Hunger, exhaustion, thirst, none of those had meant anything with the Fox's power fueling him. 

Of course, Naruto wasn't exactly sure how he was going to slow  _ down _ . He'd been running for so long that he didn't know if he could convince his legs to stop. (And he didn't know how far behind him Jiraiya was, stopping at  _ all _ could lead to his immediate capture.) 

So Naruto, having probably done worse property damage in the past, said “fuck it” and catapulted himself through the window of the Hokage's office. 

He slammed into the back wall of the room, narrowly missing a screaming Shizune. Only a couple of seconds passed before Tsunade's guards had kunai pointed at him, and Tsunade herself had even jumped up, fists at the ready. 

Naruto gave her a sloppy grin as he rubbed his head. “Sorry, Granny. I didn't know how to throw on the breaks.”

He wasn't surprised when Tsunade starting yelling at him. He  _ was  _ surprised at the profanities intermixed into the lecture; usually Tsunade was pretty good at keeping her words tame, but he  _ had  _ come through her window. Naruto didn't mind the lecture. As far as he was concerned, he'd won. Even if Jiraiya caught up to him now, he could still talk with Tsunade, still do what he came here to do. And, most importantly, he'd learned that he was fast enough to outrun a  _ Sannin _ . 

“I swear to  _ God _ Naruto if you ever pull a stunt like this again I will string you up by your ankles and drop you off the Hokage monume-”

“Hey Granny, I'm sorry about the window, but I  _ really _ need to talk to you like  _ right now _ .”

Tsunade paused. Naruto realized that he was rarely ever this serious about anything, and maybe it had been something in the tone of his voice, or the startling nature of his arrival, but Tsunade sat back down at her desk and took a deep breath. 

“Everyone else out.” She ordered. “And someone put in a request to have that damn window fixed.”

With a rush of movement, the room emptied and Naruto was alone with the Hokage. 

“I heard that Sakura left.” He began. 

“Figures.” Tsunade replied. “I would have thought you'd have tried to go after her.”

“I thought about it.” Naruto admitted. “But it didn't exactly work out very well the last time I tried it, so I thought this time I might try something else.”

“That's… uncharacteristic of you.”

“Jiraiya told me I was a fool, for still wanting to believe that Sasuke could come back. And maybe I'm still a fool because I want to think Sakura could come back too. But the truth is, I wasn't here for either of them. I especially wasn't here for Sakura, and now it's just me. And it's just me because I left the village without thinking about the friends I left behind. So… so I can't bring myself to leave again, even if it’s training to get stronger. Even if it’s keeping me safe from those Akatsuki guys. Maybe it’s selfish, but if I’m going to be Hokage one day, I need to be able to be there for the people I care about, and the  _ village _ I care about. So  _ please _ , Granny, I…” Naruto took a deep breath, straightening up for his request. “Please let me stay and be  _ your _ apprentice too!” 

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed as she considered his request. And maybe it was as stupid as it had first sounded in Naruto’s head when he’d thought of it, but Tsunade was  _ the _ Hokage, who else would better teach him how to  _ be _ Hokage? Jiraiya was a strong shinobi but…

Jiraiya was the one who’d told him to give up. And Jiraiya wasn’t the one wearing the Hokage’s hat at the end of the day. Naruto could learn power from Jiraiya, but power hadn’t been enough to bring Sasuke back, and Sasuke’s search for power led to the cascade of events that had no doubt convinced Sakura to leave as well. 

He couldn’t seek power and keep his friends together at the same time. He’d have to choose one way or the other, and Naruto knew now that his choice was never  _ ever _ going to change.

“You’re going to have to learn about paperwork.” Tsunade’s words startled him from his thoughts. “You’re going to have to study. Learn all about the laws that govern Konoha, why these systems were set up the way they are. You’ll have to sit quietly in meetings and suck up to people who you definitely won’t like. And I will still require you to mentor under Jiraiya.”

“Paperwork?” Naruto made an exasperated face, but a glare from Tsunade quickly silenced him.

“Do you think I sit around here all day for my health? Being Hokage is about  _ leading _ a village, not about conquering it. You have the drive but right now you do  _ not _ have the experience, and if you want to be Hokage one day you are going to have to  _ learn the ropes _ .” 

Naruto swallowed down his protest. He  _ hated _ paperwork, he  _ hated _ studying, but if that was what it took to be a Hokage, that was what he needed to do. So instead, he simply nodded.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Well, look at you, behaving all polite.” Naruto saw a small smile make its way onto Tsunade’s face. “I’m not lying when I’m telling you that this is what it will take. But, like I said, it won’t all be studying. You’ll still be learning under Jiraiya, and...well, I suppose since you’re back home, you’ll have to start earning your keep again, won’t you?”

“Oh, you mean missions? I can still work under Kakashi-sensei, can’t I?”

“Kakashi is on an extended leave for a mission of great importance.” Tsunade answered. Naruto’s face wrinkled as he tried to think what sort of mission his squad leader had been sent on, and it came to him all at once.

“Oh, you mean he’s-”

Tsunade put a quick finger to her lips. “It’s an S-ranked mission, Naruto. There will be no more discussing it. Besides, I’ve been looking for an extra genin to assign to a team that’s been in need of one. One of their own just got promoted to chuunin, you see, and I’d like for him to get some experience leading a three man squad.”

This, Naruto figured out right away. There was only one person he knew from the chuunin exams that had gotten promoted, and he grinned as he pieced together who it was.

“You mean I’ll be with Shikamaru?”

“Precisely.”

It certainly wasn’t the worst assignment in the world. Shikamaru was a smart dude, he’d seen as much when they’d gone to retrieve Sasuke. Ino could be scary, but Choji had always been nice. They would do until he could get Team Seven back together again. 

There was a rustle of movement, and Naruto heard wheezing breaths as Jiraiya stepped into the room through the window he’d broken.

“I’m too goddamn old for this.” Jiraiya complained. 

“I beat ya, pervy sage!” Naruto gloated. “See, I told you I could outrun Akatsuki if they came after me! And now Granny’s gonna teach me all about being Hokage!”

“And you and I are going to have a talk.” Tsunade added. “Especially about how you let a thirteen year old outrun you.”

“...he is a very  _ fast _ thirteen year old.”

“Well, you’re going to have to get faster. Especially because I’m giving you a change of assignment while you’re here.” Tsunade pulled out some paperwork and began to write. Naruto couldn’t help but peak over at it, but to his surprise, Tsunade actually gestured for him to come look. “Come on, you’ll be learning what all of this is anyway. I’m putting in your official reassignment to Team 10, but there’s something else we need to put together too. Team 10’s jounin commander, Asuma Sarutobi, will soon be on an extended leave following his marriage. That means Team 10 will be in need of a jounin supervisor until his return. Conveniently, Naruto, you’ve brought a jounin back with you who’s currently supposed to be keeping close watch on you.” Tsunade looked to Jiraiya with a smirk. “Which he can now do as the jounin captain of Team 10.” 

Even Naruto couldn’t help but chuckle at Jiraiya’s protests. 

But this...this felt right. He could train here in the village. He would learn how to be the best Hokage ever.

And when Sakura and Sasuke returned...he’d be waiting for them. 

 

-

 

“Excuse me for not expecting him to pull up the Kyuubi’s energy like a damned  _ battery _ .” Jiraiya huffed as settled against a nearby wall, his hair rustling in the faint breeze the nearby broken window created. “I’d taught him how to pull upon it, but not even his father was that fast. The Kyuubi is...the power might start getting out of hand, the more Naruto uses it.”

“You know how he is. You should have told him about Sakura leaving, instead of him catching you off guard with it. I’m just impressed he didn’t sprint off to Otogakure the first second he heard about it.”

“I think he believes Sakura will be retrieved a bit more easily than Sasuke was. I would have thought she’d be back by now too. Kakashi still hasn’t found her?”

“She’s covered ground, and she had a head start. She might also be more capable than we’d realized, but I have faith Kakashi will find her soon.” Tsunade pulled out a small scroll, handing it to Jiraiya. “This was his last report. Suna is trying to keep this under wraps, but Kakashi’s got enough of a head on his shoulders that he was able to put two and two together.”

“You’re saying...this girl ran off with the  _ Ichibi _ ?”

“That’s what Kakashi is claiming, yes.” 

What on Earth could it  _ mean _ ? The cover story about going to find Sasuke had clearly been a distraction, but for what end? It was possible Naruto would know, but Jiraiya wasn’t sure he wanted to give Naruto  _ more _ reason to want to pursue his friend. Kakashi would learn soon enough. 

There was a small flutter of wings, and a bird landed on Tsunade’s desk. 

It looked more like a painting of a bird than a real one, and Jiraiya’s suspicions were confirmed when it melted into a small puddle of ink after it landed. It left behind a small scroll.

Jiraiya went for it first, mostly to ensure there were no traps imbued in seals or anything else that might harm Tsunade. Then, Tsunade hesitantly opened it.

“...well?”

“It’s...information.” Tsunade replied, her eyes widened as she read the scroll over. “Information about  _ Akatsuki _ .”

“ _ What? _ ”

“Two members, specifically. Just a name for one, but for the other...a technique, mannerisms,  _ religion _ …” Tsunade scanned the scroll again, her eyes finally resting on the name signed on the bottom. She let out a small sigh of disbelief. “And it’s from Sakura Haruno.”

So she’d left to get  _ information _ . Even  _ he _ hadn’t managed to get this much on Akatsuki yet, and this young girl had managed to pull this together within a  _ month _ of leaving the village. 

All Jiraiya could think now was that he wasn’t so sure Kakashi would be able to bring this Sakura back after all…

 

-

 

The unnatural dimness of Orochimaru’s lair was leading Sasuke to believe that the man was training him to have night vision.

It had taken him a week to be able to walk down the halls without occasionally stumbling, and even now he had to squint to be able to make out the details of the men sitting by him. His Sharingan could eliminate this problem, sure, but his chakra reserves weren’t good enough yet to maintain those eyes for longer than an hour.

He wasn’t good enough. Yet. But that would change. Already he could feel himself getting stronger. Orochimaru’s strict routine was building up his muscle mass, testing his endurance, and enhancing his chakra reserves even without the help of the cursed seal on his shoulder. He was exhausted, always exhausted, but power didn’t come from sedentary life. Power came from pushing oneself beyond their limits, and Sasuke was doing just that.

Itachi had a head start. Itachi had been a child prodigy, Itachi had been away from the village doing who knew what  _ years _ before Sasuke had even reached the status of genin. If Sasuke didn’t push himself harder than anyone could be pushed, he’d never catch up. He’d never  _ win _ .

“I have information that might interest the both of you.” Kabuto spoke up, smiling in a way that would sometimes unnerve Sasuke more than Orochimaru’s hungry gaze did. Kabuto was untrustworthy, a true snake. (And how fitting, then, that such a man worked for Orochimaru.) Sasuke could never tell if the man was truly loyal to Orochimaru or was working to serve his own ends somehow.

But he couldn’t deny that Kabuto was a wealth of information.

“Someone else has abandoned the village of Konoha. And according to my reports, she’s headed this way in order to join up with you, Sasuke.” Kabuto chuckled. “Little Sakura has decided she loves you more than her village.”

Sakura? Sasuke couldn’t help but show a small bit of confusion as he took this in. Sakura...she had offered to come with him, that night he’d left the village, but he’d  _ rebuked _ her. He’d told her to stay, he’d  _ known _ that his path wasn’t for her, that she’d only get killed serving Orochimaru’s twisted ends. And still she had decided to come  _ here _ ?

“She must have gotten lost along the way.” Kabuto continued. “It’s been a few weeks since she supposedly left. Maybe she got killed by a wayward bandit.”

_ No...she wouldn’t have. _

But Sasuke did not allow himself to speak up, to show any emotion. Anything that Orochimaru saw in him could be used against him. He would learn from Orochimaru...but he would not allow Orochimaru to take advantage of him. If Orochimaru could use something against him, then  _ Itachi  _ could. Sasuke had to purge himself of his ties to Konoha, of his ties to  _ anyone _ . 

Even if a small part of himself still worried for Sakura, worried that she  _ had _ died along the way, worried that she  _ hadn’t _ and would show up here…

He couldn’t allow himself to think about Sakura.

“It looks as though Sasuke couldn’t care less about the girl. Don’t bother him with such trivial things, Kabuto.” Orochimaru silenced his subordinate. “More importantly, Sasuke, I’m disappointed in you.”

Disappointed? Sasuke looked up, angry and confused.

“...you haven’t touched your vegetables, Sasuke. How can you keep your body in perfect form if you do not take in the proper diet?” 

Sasuke looked down at the meal in front of him. Orochimaru was always so damn picky about what Sasuke ate. 

Sasuke was going to  _ kill _ him one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to music! At request, I've uploaded the first of my SBATC playlists to 8tracks. This one is an upbeat rock/metal themed playlist, but I will be working on uploading several different themed playlists over the course of the next month or so. I have a lot of music. I have too much music. 
> 
> https://8tracks.com/sakinthra/cherry-bomb
> 
> Music is something that really helps me focus while writing, as well as brainstorm for future chapters. If any of you out there have any good sakura-themed playlists to recommend, or even just music in general that you think I'd like, please feel free to send stuff to me!))


	21. Chapter 21

There was currently only one person in the world that Gaara truly trusted, and that was Sakura Haruno.

But that didn't mean that trust wasn't sometimes difficult.

He had no idea why Sakura had suddenly decided to try and bring the Anbu operative into their fold. If he was being honest with himself, he actually resented it. Sure, the Anbu would be following them regardless unless they killed him, but that didn't mean they had to share their fire and food, and that didn't mean that Sakura had to waste time trying to  _ get to know him _ .

(And maybe the real problem was that Gaara had gotten used to it being just the two of them, and he was beginning to learn that he really  _ didn't  _ like sharing.)

He didn't trust a word that came out of Sai's mouth anyway. Maybe Sakura wasn't as aware, but Gaara knew an emotional mask when he saw one. He'd dealt with his own for years before Naruto Uzumaki had finally cracked it, until Sakura had come in and started chipping away pieces. Sai wore a mask as solid as Gaara's had been, but what  _ really _ irritated Gaara about it was that Sai didn't even had the decency to be apathetic with his mask. He  _ faked _ emotions, smiling at Sakura's commentary, frowning when she was distressed, and even putting on a friendly front whenever he and Gaara were forced to converse. And because of those faked emotions, Gaara couldn't help but feel as though Sakura was falling for his two bit act, hook, line, and sinker.

**“You could kill him.”** Shukaku commented, his voice so deep and thunderous it was almost like an ache in Gaara’s mind. Killing Sai would make Sakura unhappy, so of course it was out of the picture. But maybe if he could convince Sakura to see reason, they could ditch this Anbu somewhere, somehow, and then it would be just the two of them again and everything would be perfect.

**“On second thought, don't kill him. I can't stand the agony of the two of you alone together again. I've retched enough in this wretched mindspace.”**

It was a quiet night out, and small fireflies danced about in the meadow they'd set up in. He and Sakura had worked together to manipulate the earth into a small, vented hut, which meant they'd always at least have a warm space to sleep. (With room, of course, for  _ Sai. _ ) Sakura had left to use the restroom, and thus the two boys had been left alone together in awkward silence.

At the very least, Sai didn't try to make small talk. The quiet was better than having to fake pleasantries.

And it allowed him time to think about how to get Sai out of the picture.

It was beneficial even from a neutral standpoint. The Anbu was sending information on them to dubious Konoha sources. He could be ordered to turn on them at any minute. He could be ordered to capture Sakura and return her home at any minute. It just wasn't smart to keep him around.

**“And it would be so much easier if you just killed him.”**

For once, Gaara couldn't help but agree with Shukaku, even if the idea was out of the picture. Strange, though, how Shukaku seemed to loathe Sai and yet, as of late, be neutral towards Sakura.

**“You bullied me into neutrality. And since you don't like the Anbu brat, that means I can bitch about him all I want and you won't stop me.”**

It was true. And now Gaara couldn't help but wonder if he couldn't turn this mutual disliking to their advantage. They couldn't kill, but perhaps Shukaku had ideas for how to get rid of the problem in another way…

**“Nope. I'm not falling for that crap. You can't manipulate me, kid, I've known your mind since you were born. Maybe you can threaten well, but you're no schemer. And if you can't manipulate me you're sure as hell not getting the Anbu out of here.”**

But wasn't that proving his own point? Gaara couldn't do it alone, but if Shukaku was willing to work with him, maybe it could be done.

**“I said** **_no_ ** **, brat!”**

“Are Jinchuuriki always so pensive?”

Sai's voice snapped Gaara back to the present. Shukaku had distracted him so thoroughly, damn it all, he needed to keep an eye on Sai…

He didn't answer. He simply looked to Sai in a way that he hoped would convey ‘I would rather kill you than answer any of your stupid questions about the Jinchuuriki’.

The look Sai gave him in return was almost certainly ‘There's nothing you can do to stop me from asking’.

Gaara  _ really _ wanted to use his sand to wipe the fake smile off the boy's face. He didn't think he'd loathed someone as much since Sasuke Uchiha.

**“You have to get him to show his true colors.”** Shukaku spoke up. **“Beat him at his own game. Do what you did with me and annoy him into complacency.”**

...as much as Gaara wasn't fond of the idea of actively interacting with Sai, Shukaku did have a point. So, for the first time, Gaara willing spoke to the boy.

“Are Anbu always so nosy?”

Sai smiled that fake, infuriating smile. “It's my job to be nosy, Bag Eyes.”

Gaara blinked. Bag Eyes? Was he...was he referring to the effects of his insomnia? Gaara should have been mad at the insult, but he was so baffled by the bluntness of the name that he actually couldn't even process anger for the first couple moments. 

“You…” Gaara took a breath. He could be composed. Shukaku was worse than this.

**“I take offence to that.”**

“You really think calling people names will get them to divulge information? Anbu must be weaker than I thought.”

“Names? You don't like it?” Strangely enough, Sai looked legitimately confused. “It says in my book that using nicknames can promote camaraderie, and to refer to someone by a distinguishing feature. Maybe it will work better with Haruno...”

So Sai had chosen...the bags around his eyes. 

Maybe this Anbu  _ was _ an idiot.

At that moment, Sakura walked into the hut, humming to herself as she sat down by the fire. “I think we're almost back to the main road. We're far enough north that we don't have to worry about Suna patrols anymore. It'd be nice to walk on an actual path, don't you think?”

Gaara nodded.

And then an idea came into his mind.

It was so simple he wasn’t sure it would even  _ work _ , but Shukaku had mentioned getting Sai to show his true colors, and now Gaara had one very  _ easy _ way to do that, assuming he played his cards right. Thankfully, Sakura played right into his plan without even knowing it.

“So what have you two been discussing while I’ve been gone? Or is it all broody silence between you two still?”

“Sai was telling me about the nicknames he came up with for each of us.” Gaara responded immediately.

**“Oh...that’s actually** **_good_ ** **, brat.”**

“Well, Gaara didn’t seem very fond of his.” Sai admitted, turning to Sakura (with that damned fake smile still). “But maybe you’ll like yours better...Ugly.” 

There was a deafening silence following Sai’s words. Gaara had to hold himself back, from laughing at Sai’s complete and utter stupidity, and from sending him through a wall for even  _ thinking _ calling Sakura that had been a go-

Gaara flinched as Sakura punched Sai right in the face. It was a good hit, and it looked like it  _ hurt _ .

“WHERE THE  _ HELL _ DO YOU GET OFF CALLING ME THAT, HUH?”

Sai at least had the decency to look shocked. Gaara just sat back and let Sakura tell the boy off, unable to prevent a few smug thoughts from crossing his mind. Shukaku had said he wasn’t a schemer but…

**“Well, you** **_might_ ** **be capable of learning.”**

 

-

 

The nicknames had been enough to make Sakura less friendly towards the Anbu, but not enough to chase him away completely. And Gaara got the feeling, now, that Sai’s attentions had turned entirely onto him following that night at the meadow. It was probable that Sai hadn’t thought Gaara capable of such scheming either, and that Gaara had now posed himself as more than just a physical threat. So Sai was now wary of him, and he and Sakura were now wary of Sai, yet somehow that hadn’t been enough to free them of Sai’s presence. 

Gaara was beginning to remember why he hadn’t been fond of his lessons in subterfuge back at Suna. Scheming was just such a  _ fickle _ process. Shukaku was right, killing was far more direct, far more effective.

(And after Sai’s ‘nickname’ fiasco, Gaara had the feeling he wasn’t the only one thinking about killing Sai as they walked.) 

They found the main road at about noon and began to follow it as it winded up the side of a rather large mountain. Gaara had known Iwagakure was hidden somewhere in a mountainside, and he found himself impressed by the notion that a village could form in a place so cold and treacherous. Even now at the mountain’s base, he felt a chill through the sand that covered his skin, and he saw Sakura begin to shiver and hold her arms close to her body. Suna had forged itself in the heart of the hottest place on the continent, and Iwa, in turn, seemed to have formed itself at the coldest point. It was respectable, but now he was faced with the possibility of Sakura being a bit ill equipped to deal with cold. His sand would protect him from the elements, but Sakura…

“There’s a small merchant village, a couple miles from here.” He heard Sai comment. For a brief moment, Gaara wondered if the Anbu could read minds.

“What, are you saying I should find a place to shower, so I don’t look so ugly?” Sakura retorted. 

“Oh, that’s an even better idea.” 

Gaara expected an angry retort, but he was surprised to see Sakura suddenly deflate. “My hair  _ has _ been all limp since we left the plains.” She admitted with a groan. “A shower would be  _ awesome _ . And maybe we could find some heavier clothes.” 

Damn it all, she was  _ agreeing  _ with him.

(Even if, admittedly, stopping at the village seemed like a good idea. But Gaara wasn’t going to  _ admit _ it.) 

So, one side road and a few miles later, they’d rented a room at an inn and Sakura had hightailed it to the shower. Sai had taken the opportunity to send out a few scrolls with those inked birds of his (likely the real reason he’d wanted to stop), and Gaara…

Well, he probably needed a shower too.

But for the time being, he and Sakura had several things to consider. One was what they were going to do once they reached Iwa. If they started asking around off the bat about the other Jinchuuriki, they’d likely fall under suspicion. At this point, they were probably considered missing-nin, but Iwa had been at war with both Suna and Konoha several times in the past, and Gaara doubted that they’d be looked upon fondly just by association. They had to approach the village in a manner that did not suggest that they were spying on Iwa for their old villages and did not intend to start trouble.

Sakura’s first thought was to go straight to the Tsuchikage and offer him all the information she had on Akatsuki as a show of good faith. As a village with two Jinchuuriki, they would likely value information that would help them keep their Jinchuuriki from being stolen. Gaara’s concern with their openness was that they might see Gaara for what he was and attempt to take the Ichibi for themselves, which meant that they would need to ensure Gaara was unrecognizable in order for this tactic to work. Easy enough. They’d snuck out of Suna with none the wiser, so Gaara would just keep his hood up and not demonstrate any abilities that might make him stand out. 

Both of them weren’t exactly sure where Sai was going to fit in. He was under no obligation to help ingratiate them to the Tsuchikage, and, if he was at all loyal to Konoha, he might even consider it beneficial to his village to  _ stop _ them from sharing information that Konoha was currently privy to. Sakura hoped Sai would understand that the villages all had a common enemy in Akatsuki, and that keeping secrets would simply give Akatsuki an edge, but…

Well, the Anbu boy was tricky, even if he was a social moron. 

The only consolation that the two of them had was that they were fairly certain they could defend themselves from Sai if he tried to stop them, unless the boy had been holding back when he’d come after them before. 

They’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

The second order of affairs was money. Gaara, both by being the son of the previous Kazekage and having gone on plenty of missions, had amassed a considerate amount before leaving Suna, but they couldn’t rely on his funds forever. Unless they wanted to live in the woods for the rest of their lives, they’d have to find a way to make money somehow.

Which is how the two of them ended up doing odd jobs for the various merchants throughout the town.

Gaara had never done D-ranked missions before, which was what these jobs would have been considered back at Suna. Painting fences, repairing roofs, even walking someone’s dog...all of those were menial tasks considered beneath the Kazekage’s children. Sakura, however, had done plenty of these, taking to them like it was second nature.

“Our jounin instructor ran us ragged doing missions like these back at Konoha.” She told him. “And when Naruto left with the sage, I did a lot of these on my own to make money. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do these in Iwagakure proper, but I’m sure a lot of these small villages won’t mind helping hands.” Currently, she was browsing a small building that had a collection of warm clothes, scarves, and boots for mountain hiking. “And that means we can afford to splurge on some nice clothes, so don’t be afraid to pick out things that you like.”

Gaara had never gone shopping in such a manner before. He had always gone to a supplier that had provided him with the basics. Jumpsuits, wrappings, and a belt for his gourd...that was all he’d ever needed. Shinobi, he’d been told, weren’t supposed to make fashion statements. They were supposed to blend in. They were  _ soldiers _ .

Konoha, it seemed, didn’t have such beliefs. Sakura had immediately found the pinkest garment in the building: a long, thick scarf that she’d fallen in love with at first sight. That went in a pile along with a heavy red jacket, insulating pants, gloves, and long boots that reached up to her knees. She’d be warm, but she’d certainly stand out. Gaara remembered that Naruto, too, had worn bright orange clothing, which he supposed might have served him well during the fall when the leaves of the trees began to turn, but for every other season…

And yet, Konoha shinobi hadn’t died out yet, so maybe they were just strong enough that sneaking around didn’t matter. Plus, now that Gaara considered it, he’d stood out a fair amount with his red hair and massive gourd, yet he’d still managed to be fairly stealthy when the occasion called for it. 

So...what did that mean for him? He needed warm clothing too, and though his first inclination was towards the dullest colored jackets in the room, he wondered if Sakura might be amused if he went for something more garish. 

In the end, he settled for a happy medium. He’d found a brown, hooded overcoat with dark red sleeves. The coat itself reached nearly to his knees, and if he wore simple clothes beneath it, he could keep warm and...experiment with his style a bit. Coupled with some hiking boots, he’d be set for the cold peaks of Iwa. 

Even Sai spent time finding a warm jacket for himself, and Gaara noted with a frown that he was carrying his own pocket money. (He could have  _ chipped in for the rent _ .) 

He had to admit, with the new clothes, they looked...different. Less like soldiers, more like...people.

And Gaara liked that.

 

-

 

“So ‘Ugly’ and ‘Bag-Eyes’ aren’t good nicknames, then.”

It was night, and Sakura had long since gone to sleep in the warmth of the inn’s bed. Sai, typically, had been a light sleeper, and Gaara wasn’t surprised to see him up, but he  _ was _ surprised to see that the boy was still stuck on the nicknames business.

“I’ve thought about some alternatives, but clearly I don’t have the mind for it. So, Gaara, would sort of nicknames would you use for Sakura, then? Or for me? Maybe you can help me find something that works.”

That was the last thing that Gaara wanted. If he was going to give Sai  _ any _ sort of damned nickname, it would be…

“Dumbass.” He turned to Sai. “For you.” 

Sai blinked. 

And then, somewhat unexpectedly, he laughed. 

And even more unexpectedly than that, as far as Gaara could tell, the laugh seemed genuine.

Gaara couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. (Not in a way that wasn’t murderous, anyway.) Sakura had made him smile, had even, perhaps, gotten a chuckle out of him, but laughter still seemed out of reach at times. He’d pushed his emotions down for so long that allowing laughter to happen seemed...difficult.

And yet here Sai was, laughing as though it was the easiest thing in the world. 

Gaara felt...jealous. Jealous of that ability. Jealous of that freedom. Even an Anbu, it seemed, had more humanity than him. 

“Alright then, Grumpy.” Sai finally answered. “I think that helps me out a lot, actually.”

It was like Sai really  _ was _ a mind reader, calling him ‘grumpy’ now. The nickname was probably fitting, at least, and perhaps a bit less harsh than Bag-Eyes. So, for now, it would be acceptable. 

And Gaara would learn how to laugh, even if it was out of  _ spite _ . 

 

-

 

When Sai finally slept, Gaara blinked, and he was face to face with Shukaku once again.

It had happened a couple times since the first, on the tower in the fortress. It was disorienting at first, but Gaara had been getting used to it quicker and quicker. He wasn’t quite sure why Shukaku was dragging him in here, (and, he figured, it  _ had _ to be Shukaku doing it, as when he tried on his own he could never trigger the event), but in a strange way he didn’t mind. Being face to face with his demon helped put the demon into perspective.

“ **You’re heading into the lion’s den.** ” Shukaku began. He let out a long breath of air, and the black sand at Gaara’s feet began to swirl with an unnatural energy. “ **I’ve seen how Iwagakure treats its enemies. The instant they learn what you are, your lives will be in danger.** ” 

“I know.” Gaara answered. “But it is what Sakura wants to do, and it is the only way we can find the other Jinchuuriki.”

“ **They’re all probably like you used to be. Cynical, murderous, withdrawn. They won’t trust you, even if they know what you are. Not everyone’s like that kitsune’s brat.** ”

“We still have to try.”

“ **But what do** **_you_ ** **want, brat?** ” Shukaku huffed. “ **You’re no longer killing everything, you’re just blindly following that girl without any other purpose. You went from being a tool of Suna to being a tool for Sakura.** ”

“I’m not a tool!” Gaara protested. “I’m helping her because she’s my friend!”

“ **And will you die for her, too, if Iwa turns on you?** ”

The answer came out of Gaara quicker than even he could have expected.

“Yes.”

Shukaku let out a thundering growl, shifting his body underneath the chains that held him down. The bells that usually chimed had silenced, leaving the room eerily quiet. 

“ **That Kyuubi boy, that’s where it all started. I don’t know what’s gotten into Kurama that he let that boy be so insufferable, but...I suppose it might be a sign.** ”

“A sign of what?”

“ **That humanity might be able to change.** ”

It was...perhaps the kindest thing Shukaku had ever said to him, that admission of hope. Gaara sat himself down on the black sand beneath him. If Shukaku could be civil about things, so could he. Maybe they could even reach some sort of understanding. 

Maybe that had been what Naruto had done. Naruto had broken free from the loneliness of isolation. Naruto had friends who cared about him, friends like Sakura that had traveled across the continent to find information that could help him. Naruto had strength. The Kyuubi’s strength, and his own strength. Had Naruto spoken with the Kyuubi like this, one on one? Had he helped the fox see that bonds were...something to be cherished and sought out? Could Gaara too convince Shukaku of such?

“I want to live in a world where no one has to live in solitude and loneliness ever again.” Gaara found himself saying. “I want to live in a world where...shinobi aren’t tools to anyone.”

“ **The only way such a world is ever going to exist is if someone works to change it** .” 

“Then I’ll be that change. We’ll show all the other Jinchuuriki that they have friends, even if the shinobi world shuns them. We’ll bring them all together and make the world a better place.”

“ **Bold. Stupid. Impossible.** ” Shukaku huffed. “ **And I’m stuck along for the ride, so I might as well try to enjoy it.** ”

Gaara blinked, and he was in the inn once again, though Shukaku had one more thing to say.

“ **Go out the window and get out onto the grass, brat. It’s time someone trained you properly.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode is dedicated to viewers like you. No, seriously, the commentary and reception that you all have been giving me for this fic has really helped me to keep writing it, and to keep updating as frequently as I do. So, I want to do something to give a little back to you viewers. We're approaching some milestones for the fic, so if we hit those milestones, here's what I'll do.
> 
> If this fic hits 10k views, I'll do an announcement on the following chapter asking you all for things you'd like to see in the fic. Little things. Maybe you want to see Gaara get a summoning animal. Maybe you want to see Sai pick up harmonica. Maybe you want to see Sakura get a weapon. Whatever your suggestions may be, I'll pick three of them and integrate them into the fic. Consider it an exercise for me in improvisation and a way for you to potentially see something you'd really like written out! And who knows, maybe it could end up affecting the fic in a big way!
> 
> If, and this is probably a further off goal, but if this fic ever hits 1000 kudos, I will create a poll for you all with characters who have not had POV chapters thus far, but have still been involved with the story. I will take the top three voted characters and do an extra 'intermission' chapter from their POV. Characters that will be included in this poll will be characters like Hidan and Shikamaru, if that's motivation for anyone to want to vote.
> 
> We'll see if we can hit those goals. For now, my current goals as an author are to continue my weekly updates and see this fic all the way to its end. I do have an ending planned, and I will say it will probably take a while to reach it, but hey, it looks like a good bunch of you are along for the ride, so let's take on this roller coaster together.))


	22. Chapter 22

There was a chill in the Iwa mountains that was unlike any sort of chill Sakura had experienced in her lifetime. Even with her new garments, the wind seemed to blow right into her very bones. 

Gaara was a blessing in disguise. He kept the wind off their backs with a thick layer of sand, something that looked like it took a reasonable amount of effort to keep up for the hours they spent hiking through the mountain trails. When Sakura asked, he said it was good training. Like she’d implemented with her sensing jutsu, long term, continued use of jutsu would only serve to strengthen one’s chakra reserves.

(With the Ichibi inside of him, Sakura wasn’t quite sure why he  _ needed _ larger chakra reserves, but she wasn’t going to fault him trying to improve anyway.)

At night, even with a roaring fire inside their self-made huts, Sakura shivered with cold. It was near impossible to sleep, a challenge to even find food. Whatever shinobi Iwagakure raised, they had to be  _ strong _ to have grown up in this. Sakura almost envied them. Comparing Konoha to here, even to  _ Suna _ , it felt as though she’d lived a sheltered life, with calm winters and pleasant summers. But, if anything, that only made Sakura more determined. Surviving the mountain, in its own way, was  _ also _ training. When she returned to Konoha…

_ If _ she returned to Konoha…

Because she was very well still afraid of  _ dying _ out here, if not from the cold, then from the shinobi who had become infamous for their hatred of other villages, Konoha in particular. But  _ if _ she returned to Konoha, she wasn’t going to be considered squirrelly little Sakura anymore, Sakura who couldn’t keep up with her teammates, Sakura who couldn’t make it to the finals of the chuunin exams. Naruto and Sasuke would have thrown a fit at being subjected to these mountains, and here she was  _ living _ them. Maybe she wasn’t an Uchiha, wasn’t a Jinchuuriki, but if there was one thing Sakura was finding out about herself, it was that she could  _ endure _ . 

She knew that Sai was desperate to know why they were heading to Iwa. Oh, he knew the  _ details _ of why, he knew that they were going to speak with Iwa’s Jinchuuriki and pass on information about Akatsuki, but she got the feeling that Sai didn’t know the  _ motivation _ behind why they were doing it. ‘Because it was the right thing to do’ didn’t seem quite the satisfactory reason, though Sai had written it down in his scroll regardless. Sakura supposed coming from the secretive world of the Anbu, seeing what happened behind the scenes of the hidden villages, probably made one suspicious to the intents of others, but had the boy really not heard of altruism before? 

But the more Sakura thought about it, the more she  _ really _ thought about it, she almost had to wonder herself if it was a good enough excuse. She was doing this for Naruto, for Gaara, for all the other Jinchuuriki. She was doing this to eventually find Sasuke and save him from Orochimaru’s grasp. Wasn’t that good enough?

It had to be. But something in Sakura just...wasn’t quite sure she had the whole picture anymore. She had scars for this journey. Ruined her career as a Konoha shinobi for this journey. She doubted Naruto or Sasuke would have wanted this for her. She doubted her parents or Ino or Kakashi or any of the others she’d left behind would have wanted this for her.

(But  _ she’d _ wanted it, and maybe…)

“Deep in thought, Fisticuffs?”

Sakura inwardly flinched at Sai’s newest nickname. Apparently her punch had gotten  _ some _ sort of message across about calling her names, but Sai still seemed insistent on settling upon  _ something _ . She couldn’t complain too much about ‘fisticuffs’. At the very least, it was more flattering than  _ ugly _ . (And she was  _ so _ glad Ino hadn’t been around to hear  _ that _ comment.) 

“Well, when the cold keeps you up, not much else you can do but think.” She admitted aloud. 

“You could try something productive.” Sai offered.

“What, like  _ doodling _ ?”

Sai was silent at this. Sakura hadn’t known until recently how much Sai practiced his art, as he usually did it when she was asleep. But now that she’d found insomnia, she was learning all  _ sorts _ of things that happened while she was typically asleep. Obviously Sai needed to practice to keep up his skills as an artist, but what Sakura was  _ dying _ to know was how one brought something to life from a page.

“Can you bring anything to life?” She found herself suddenly asking. “I see you do animals, but what if you decided to do...a sword? Would it come out sharp or would it come apart the instant you hit someone with it?”

Sai looked to her, his face unreadable. “I’m not sure why I need to answer any of those questions.”

Well...he had a point. Sakura frowned and rolled her eyes. They weren’t  _ friends _ , not like she and Gaara. Sai was technically here to spy on her, she was just  _ tolerating _ him, which was the only reason Sai wasn’t hiding in a tree twenty feet away while they holed up for the night. She’d thought, incorrectly it seemed, that he might be  _ grateful _ for their companionship, but…

“Maybe I’m just trying to make small talk.” She finally answered. “Maybe I thought we could be civil and learn about each other instead of just faking being nice.”

“Information is never free.”

“Then ask  _ me _ something.” Sakura offered. “You tell me about your drawing jutsu and I’ll tell you about something you want to know.”

She saw Gaara shoot her a look. She wasn’t stupid, she knew Gaara didn’t have any sort of positive feelings for Sai, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t try to make friends. Maybe, just maybe, if she could convince  _ Sai  _ that her heart was in the right place, she could convince Konoha and Tsunade too. (And then she  _ could _ go back, consequences be damned.) 

“Tell me how you found out I was following you.”

Sakura smirked. Oh, had that been nagging at Sai this whole time? Well, it wasn’t as though it had been  _ entirely _ her that had done it.

“The man with the Akatsuki robes told me.” She said, not even bothering with any dishonesty. “Hidan was his name. I somehow managed to liken him to me and he returned the favor by telling me about you. From there, it was a matter of using my sensing jutsu.” She hesitated before speaking further...if she admitted she stole a scroll from Konoha’s archives, she’d probably get more trouble than just running. Well, it wasn’t as though Sai needed to learn  _ how _ she’d learned such a technique. Nobody asked Sasuke where he’d learned the Chidori from, they’d just accepted that he had a new technique and gone with it. “My abilities with sensing are...kind of limited. My range is about two hundred feet, and I can locate anyone with a chakra signature. So, once we were out in the fields, far from the Plains village, the only signatures I should have been able to sense were myself and Gaara. But there you were, behind us, and that’s how we found you.”

“A sensing jutsu…” Sai pulled out a scroll and began to take more notes. “There nothing in your record about ever knowing a jutsu like that before.”

“A shinobi doesn’t tell everyone their secrets.”

“And yet you’re telling me yours.”

“It’s called building trust, ever heard of it?”

“In the shinobi world, there is no such thing as trust. As a shinobi, you should know that.” 

“Well, as a person, I can’t accept that!” Sakura found her voice raising. Maybe it was exhaustion, but she couldn’t hold back her emotions. “Do you honestly think Gaara and I managed to get this far because we were holding knives at each other’s backs the whole time? No human being can possibly succeed without having people they trust. That’s why genin are divided into squads. What ever happened to your squad, huh?”

Sai went quiet. He looked down at his scroll, his pen faltering. “I...didn’t have one.”

Didn’t have one?

Well that couldn’t be, Sakura was certain  _ all _ shinobi were required to go through the Academy and be assigned to a genin squad, even if there were some who graduated earlier than others. Bypassing a team entirely? The Hokage would never allow such a thing.

As if reading her mind, Sai spoke again. “Sometimes children stand out from a young age, and sometimes people in the village take notice. We of Anbu Root do not have teams. We are simply tools, shaped to serve Konoha. We take no names. We have no purpose but the mission. And we feel no emotions.” He turned to face Sakura again, and his fake smile came to his face. “So no, I never learned anything about squads or trust.”

Sakura felt her anger deflate at that. This boy...did such an organization really exist within Konoha? Not just Anbu, but  _ Root _ ...children groomed from a young age to become tools...this was not something she pictured the Third or the Fifth Hokage deeming appropriate, but the proof of Root’s existing was standing right in front of her.

Konoha was...it had secrets. Not just about Naruto or the nature of the Uchiha massacre...there were secrets far deeper than she’d even considered. Konoha was her home. She wanted to think the best of it. She wanted to think that only the other villages recruited soldiers so young and forced them to fight. But…

Konoha was just as bad as everyone else, and Sai was the proof.

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled aloud. 

“Whatever for? I’m just answering your questions, like you wanted.”

“I’m sorry you don’t know any better.” Sakura continued. “I’m sorry you never had a team or learned about the things that matter. I’m sorry you’ve been...alone.” She stole a glance at Gaara who looked...far more pensive than usual. Gaara’s loneliness was a subject she’d heard about before. Even though Gaara  _ had _ been assigned to a genin team, he hadn’t been with people who trusted and supported him. Sai...was it possible Sai’d had it  _ worse _ than Gaara? Sai had purpose, at least, a mission, and he claimed he wasn’t supposed to  _ feel _ but no human being could exist without emotions. It was impossible. She’d learned that back in the Land of Waves, back when she’d cried over Sasuke’s body, thinking he was dead, unable to be the tool that the village had wanted…

(And with that thought in her head, about the rules of being a shinobi, how she was supposed to suppress her emotions and put the village first...maybe it wasn’t so strange that Root existed after all. Maybe she just hadn’t  _ wanted _ to see it.)

“The shinobi world is a cruel place.” She admitted to herself, more than Sai. “That Jinchuuriki even exist at all is a testament to that. That Root exists, even more so. I...I really think I  _ hate _ it, you know?” Was she actually  _ crying _ ? Her face was numb with cold, but the tears were warm on her face, and she noticed that Sai seemed almost shocked at the action. “Because we  _ aren’t _ tools, we’re human beings with emotions and desires and dreams, and no amount of training or conditioning is ever going to erase that. I don’t believe you when you say you feel no emotions, Sai. I don’t believe shinobi have to live this way. That’s why I  _ have _ to see the other Jinchuuriki. That’s why I have to be there for them. Gaara and I, we can show them that they don’t have to be alone. That there’s another way. Shinobi can learn to trust and help each other. We can learn to understand...to  _ really _ understand each other.” Without thinking, Sakura reached up, clutching at the Jashin amulet around her neck.

_ You can be an emotionless killing machine and never think twice about the lives you take, but for worshippers of Jashin, every life means something _ .

Every life...and only through knowing each other’s pain could shinobi really hope to understand each other. She may not have understood Sai before, but now, after hearing just that simple explanation, she was certain she understood him perfectly. 

“So that’s it.” She decided. “That’s the real reason we’re out here, Gaara and I. To show the rest of the world that there’s a better way. We’re Konoha and Suna, working together. But more than that, we’re friends who trust each other.” She wiped her eyes and gave Sai her biggest grin. “So what do you think about that, Sai?”

“Hmm.” Sai looked down at his notes before rolling up his scroll. “I think…you’re delusional, Fisticuffs.” He smiled at her, but this time...Sakura could have sworn  _ this _ time the smile looked genuine. 

“Fine by me. Just you keeping watching, Anbu boy. We’ll prove you wrong.”

 

-

 

They reached the outskirts of Iwagakure as the morning sun first peaked over the mountain, when half a dozen Iwa shinobi appeared around them with all manner of kunai and shuriken aimed at their vicinity. 

It was a main road, so it wasn’t as though they were traveling suspiciously, but Sakura realized all too quickly that this wasn’t a normal patrol when she was addressed by name.

“Sakura Haruno. You and your companions will surrender your weapons immediately or be executed where you stand.”

The woman who spoke was pretty, but carried a look about her that screamed serious. Sakura found a small sort of satisfaction in that the woman was wearing a deep red outfit that was not dissimilar to her old one. (Take  _ that _ , Ino, red dresses were  _ in _ now.) 

They had come here to be diplomatic, so for Sakura, there wasn’t a question of what they’d do. Slowly, so that she wouldn’t startle any of the shinobi trained on her, she began to remove her weapons and lay them on the ground in front of her.

“We’re here to speak with the Tsuchikage.” She announced, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Sai had yet to disarm himself. (Gaara didn’t carry kunai, she realized, as he could easily make his own weapons with sand.) That they didn’t know about Sai yet meant that their information on her and Gaara was somewhat dated...but that they had information at all was disconcerting. What news had been spread about her? And since they hadn’t mentioned Gaara by name...did they know he was the Ichibi Jinchuuriki? Gaara had thought Suna would keep his absence a secret and she believed him. For now, she would do whatever she could to convince these shinobi that Gaara was simply her traveling partner and nothing more. “My friend here on my right doesn’t carry any weapons on him. And…” She looked back to Sai, hoping he’d see reason.

“That’s a Konoha Anbu, look at the mask on his hip!” She heard one of the shinobi hiss. “We should just kill them all now!”

“Quiet.” The woman in front of her ordered. “Haruno, we know of your one companion. However, there was no information about an Anbu traveling with you. Those who are from Konoha are considered enemies to our village.” With a small hand gesture, four shinobi flanked Sai, pushing him to the ground and twisting his arms behind his back. “What reason do we have to believe that you are not working with him?”

Sakura winced at Sai’s treatment. She didn’t like seeing the boy manhandled so much, but...what could she do, in this situation? “He was sent to gather information about me.” She decided to go with the truth...at least, what might help the situation. “I have...defected from Konoha, you see, and the Hokage thought it might be to join up with another missing shinobi that defected a while back. This Anbu was under orders to follow me in the hope of learning where the other shinobi had gone, as his current status was that he defected to join the sannin Orochimaru.”

“A spy, then.” The woman concluded. “So you do not consider him an ally?”

Sakura grimaced. If she misspoke...would Sai be killed? “We allowed him to travel with us as my intent was  _ not _ to find Orochimaru’s location and there was no point in hindering his mission. In that respect, as he has been at our side, I consider him an ally, but...I have no current loyalties to Konoha or any motivation to further his mission.”

“Very well.” The woman gestured again, and the shinobi vanished, Sai along with them. Sakura’s breath hitched in her throat. She could only hope she hadn’t condemned Sai to death, but...what else could she have done? Sai wouldn’t have stayed behind if she’d asked. He’d known what he was getting into.

_ We have no purpose but the mission _ .

She gritted her teeth. The idiot was so damn dedicated to his mission that he might have just thrown his life away for it.

“You will follow me.” The woman ordered. “I will take you to see the Tsuchikage myself, and from there we will discuss if you are worth keeping alive.” 

The woman turned to leave down the path, and Sakura gathered that she was expected to follow. For a moment, she felt frozen in place, terrified by what Iwa had to offer her.

And then Gaara’s hand was on her shoulder, and she felt herself breathe again.

She had someone she could trust. If things went bad, she and Gaara could rely on each other.

It just pained her, in the back of her mind as she began to walk, that Sai might die without ever knowing that feeling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This episode of SBATC is dedicated to the cold front that just swept in. I fucking hate winter.
> 
> Somewhat shorter chapter because...well, the next one might potentially be a bit of a doozy.))


	23. Chapter 23

Perhaps Sakura had been spoiled by Konoha, but Iwagakure had to be the ugliest village she’d ever set eyes on.

And it wasn’t that it wasn’t large or grand, but all of the buildings were the same shade of  _ rock _ , the same shape, the same height...only one building in the center of the village stood taller than the rest, the Tsuchikage’s no doubt, but even that was just barely less bland than everyone else. 

Iwa wasn’t at the mountain’s peak, like Sakura had been thinking. Rather, the mountain peaked in various places around the village, forming a protective barrier not unlike that Suna had found for themselves out in the desert. There was only one main road in and out of the village, and that had been the one Sakura had come in on. Trying to come in from any other angle was probably suicide, and Sakura knew that the Iwa shinobi likely counted on that. Despite its ugliness, Iwa was its own fortress, and it definitely held its defense leagues over that of Konoha’s. (Sakura still remembered how easily Orochimaru’s snakes had torn down Konoha’s walls...she doubted the snakes could breach a mountain similarly.) 

What was interesting, however, was the transportation that the village implemented. Oh, there were sidewalks and people using them, but Sakura soon realized that the  _ real _ common form of transportation in Iwa was an underground tunneling system that the shinobi simply referred to as ‘The Carts’. 

The carts themselves were large, roofed wagons that could fit several dozen people inside of them. Each ran along a track that had been molded out of metal, and Sakura noted, after seeing a small spark, that some sort of electric current was running through the track. Whatever this current was, it gave life to the carts, allowing them to thunder their way through the depths of the mountain and come back up to whichever ‘station’ was next on the track. Sakura wondered just how many carts were running at a time, and how long it had taken to get the timing just right so that the carts wouldn’t run into each other, never mind the fact that they were using electricity in a way that Konoha hadn’t  _ dreamed _ of yet. They still used horse-drawn carts...Iwa had  _ automated _ carts. 

“You’re impressed.” The woman escorting her smirked as she eyed Sakura. “Konoha prides itself in the power of its clans and unique jutsu. Other villages have to make up the slack in other ways.”

“Other villages?” Sakura questioned. “So villages other than Iwa have carts like these?”

“Haruno, you are going to be learning quite a bit about how far behind Konoha has fallen.” 

The thought was enough to sour Sakura somewhat, but she kept face. She was supposed to be playing the part of a turncoat, not a loyal Konoha shinobi. And if she survived this, if it was  _ possible _ to survive this…

Though, there was another part of her that inwardly flinched at the idea of sharing Iwa’s secrets with Konoha so freely. That they were being so open about it with her clearly meant that they weren’t  _ that _ intent on keeping the news of their technological prowess a secret, but...Konoha didn’t know yet for a reason. 

But if she didn’t tell Konoha everything she knew, then...she really  _ would _ be a turncoat. 

She mulled on her thoughts as the cart took her deep into the heart of Iwa. Gaara was silent next to her, but never strayed very far from her side, even as the cart shifted and swayed. Sakura found herself wanting to lean against him, to find some sort of stability for her shaking legs. This was so much to take in, and all before a meeting with the  _ Tsuchikage _ .

How was it that Iwa knew about her to begin with? That was as good a place to start as any, Sakura supposed, if she was going to gather information during her time here. So she spoke to the woman again.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting you to know who I was.”

“It’s as much a surprise as us as it is to you.” The woman answered. “Lord Tsuchikage had been in correspondence with Lord Hiroshi for some time, in the hopes of building trading routes between Iwa and Plains. Imagine our shock when we heard that he’d been overthrown, with the aid of an as-of-yet unheard of rogue shinobi who had a penchant for earth jutsu.”

Sakura couldn’t help but blush. She had a  _ reputation _ ? “I had just been passing through. I didn’t find Hiroshi...palatable.”

“Can’t help but agree with you there.” The woman actually smiled. “He was trash, but he was  _ valuable _ trash. Fortunately, the woman you left in charge was more than willing to continue our negotiations, and she did us the favor of warning us of your existence, and that you were headed in our direction. Lord Tsuchikage was wary that you might try to usurp him too, but seeing as you’ve so willingly disarmed yourselves, I’m thinking you might have a different reason for trekking all the way up this mountain.”

“That would be correct.” 

“Well, you can discuss it with Lord Tsuchikage. We’re almost there.”

The cart squealed as it came to a halt at their final destination. Sakura swallowed nervously. She’d heard stories about Onoki and his fearsome battle prowess during the Third Shinobi War, and knew from her history books that he had ruled over Iwa for decades. This wasn’t Tsunade she was going to speak with, Tsunade who, despite her sternness, Sakura had never been afraid of. With Onoki, she had no idea what to expect. 

To Sakura’s surprise, she wasn’t brought to the tall building she’d noted before, but rather a large one-story that dominated the majority of the street it stood by. Though it seemed a major building, Sakura saw none of the passersby entering it, and when she was led inside, the first room was empty. It was only once she was brought into the main room that she realized that the building had to be used for training. 

At first, it looked like a disaster zone. Broken boulders and pillars of stone lay all across the room which would otherwise have resembled an empty arena. The arena itself had been dug about a story down into the earth, likely so that others could watch the goings-on from above without fear of harm to themselves. As Sakura peeked down into the arena, she saw six shinobi, all looking to be about her age, fighting each other with gusto. The boulders and pillars became weapons as earth jutsu summoned whatever happened to be closest, and as Sakura watched the shinobi get battered back and forth by stone, she couldn’t help but think that, if this was some sort of training, it was  _ brutal.  _

She tore her gaze from that battle and looked across the room, and there she caught sight of the Tsuchikage for the first time. 

He was old, and the fact that he could still command the village at such an age spoke leagues about the man’s leadership and battle prowess. She had thought the Third Hokage had been in office for too long, but Onoki took the cake. He was surprisingly small, shorter than her by at least several feet, and it did not help that he appeared absolutely dwarfed by the man that stood at his size. (The biggest man Sakura had seen in her  _ life _ ...and she’d seen some large Akimichis back home.) 

Sakura was led around the room to the Tsuchikage, every now and then ducking to avoid the splinters of rock that were shot across the room. The woman escorting her did not seem phased, so such training was likely something they were used to. (Even in the chuunin exams, Sakura hadn’t felt such danger being on the sidelines.) Eventually, she and Gaara stood at the Tsuchikage's side, waiting as their escort spoke.

“I've brought Haruno, as you requested.”

“And she can wait.” Onoki insisted, shifting in his chair as he kept his eyes glued on the battle in front of him. “The chuunin exams only come once a year, and I think one of these might just have a bit of a backbone in him.”

There was a loud blast, and Sakura flinched as a boulder was redirected right at them. But Onoki did not flinch, or even move a muscle; he simply sat as the large man next to him swatted away the boulder with a casual flick of his arm.

Sakura wondered how often this arena needed repairs.

The escort returned to stand by Sakura and Gaara, now watching the match as intently as her superior. “We haven’t had a chuunin promotion in three years.” She admitted to Sakura. “You're lucky. It sounds like the Lord Tsuchikage might be in a good mood.”

Promotion...Sakura remembered vaguely that Iwa had not been at the her own exam. Did the village prefer their own test? It had seemed as though every other village in the country had come but Iwa...no, they definitely hadn't been there. Of course, now that she thought about it, it made sense. Distrust of Konoha and all.

She watched the battle too, watched in awe as one shinobi countered a boulder missile by redirecting it upwards with an earthen pillar. The timing and precision required for such a feat...and then the boy followed it up by summoning a horizontal pillar from the wall, sending the boulder right back at his assailant. None of the shinobi, Sakura realized, were using weapons, only earth techniques. She supposed there was little a kunai could do against stone, but a well thrown shuriken could take out an opponent with ease...so were they purposely limiting themselves?

It was over soon after. The boy's redirected boulder took out two of the opposing team, and from there a three on one battle was a near guaranteed victory. As soon as the third opponent was down, a nearby shinobi blew a whistle, calling a halt to the match. 

“Winner, Team Anabe!”

The three victors looked exhausted, but they each turned in the direction of the Tsuchikage and gave a respectful bow. Sakura saw the Tsuchikage smile before giving a curt wave of his hand.

“Bah! I don’t need to see anymore. Give Itsuki the damn jacket already, he's more than earned it.”

Despite his exhaustion, a large grin came to the boy, Itsuki's, face, and he bowed again, even lower. “Thank you, Lord Tsuchikage!”

From there, the team dispersed, though not before a few cheers were given to the newly promoted chuunin. Nurses flooded in to take care of the injured genin, and with that the arena began to empty until only the group with the Tsuchikage remained.

“I saw the look in your eyes, girl.” Onoki suddenly spoke, and Sakura realized he was speaking to  _ her _ . “Finally got to see what real shinobi fight like, eh? Konoha has their special clans and secret techniques, but Iwa has something even more powerful. Innovation.”

She heard the shinobi around her chuckle. So was that how Iwa saw Konoha? Haughty and bland? She fought down the part of herself that wanted to leap to Konoha's defense. That would get her no friends here. Instead, perhaps…

“His finesse with earth jutsu was very impressive.” She admitted. “It's not something I would be capable of matching.”

“Bah! Oh, cut the pandering crap.” Onoki suddenly shouted. “I know how you Konoha types are. Diplomatic exterior as it suits you. What do you really think, Haruno?”

Sakura couldn't help but wince. She  _ did _ think the boy's use of jutsu was effective, that hadn't been a lie. But…

“I would expect such finesse with earth to be a standard of  _ all _ Iwa shinobi, not just the exemplary ones.”

“Now that's a better opinion.” Onoki agreed. “I've watched these exams for decades. Our youngest shinobi have not grown up in the heart of war like their predecessors. There’s a genius in every generation, but not every can be young Itsuki. Every shinobi here, though, is ten times the warrior of your pathetic Konoha regardless.”

Sakura gritted her teeth. She was supposed to be a missing-nin, but hearing the Tsuchikage talk so brazenly about her village was pushing almost all of the buttons she had to push. Had the Tsuchikage brought her to him just to trash talk Konoha? And besides…it wasn’t like she was currently associated with Konoha anyway, right? 

“I’m not entirely sure where posturing the strength of your shinobi will get you with me.” Sakura decided to go for bold. “As I am no longer considered a Konoha shinobi.”

“And yet, I’ve been informed you’ve been traveling with an agent of Konoha regardless.” Onoki narrowed his eyes. “A young Anbu boy. Word has spread that you have supposedly left your village. It would be a rather convenient excuse to allow you to spy upon other villages, claiming to be a rogue shinobi.”

“If you’re so convinced of my guilt, why are speaking with me?” Sakura lowered her head, a bit of humility reaching her as she realized she was, in fact, speaking with a  _ Kage _ . “If...I might be so bold as to ask.”

“Why am I indeed?” Onoki looked her straight in the eyes, and Sakura got the very distinct impression that she was being judged by some unknown standard. “The new leader of the Plains has spoken rather highly of you. You helped organize a village revolt and aided in the defeat of a man with a rather powerful kekkei genkai. And now, assuming our negotiations continue as planned, Plains and Stone will become powerful allies. Now I have to wonder what exactly Konoha would have to gain from such a thing.”

“Maybe I wasn’t working for Konoha. Maybe I’d just wanted to do the right thing.” 

“The right thing? Interfering in village politics and disposing of a man in power simply because you thought it the right thing? Are you going to come for me next?” Onoki suddenly laughed. “Not like a brat like you could stand a chance against me, but I can’t help but wonder what your intentions are. You aren’t working with Konoha, so why leave? I’d hear it from your own mouth, girl.”

This was it. Her chance. In a weird roundabout way, this conversation was going as good as she’d hoped. “I’m here to give you information regarding an organization called Akatsuki that might potentially mean to kidnap your village’s Jinchuuriki.” Sakura began. “If possible, I would also like to speak with your Jinchuuriki myself, in an attempt to understand the nature of the Tailed Beasts better. My previous companion in Konoha was a Jinchuuriki, and I want to keep him and others like him safe from this organization’s influence.”

“Akatsuki?” Onoki’s face turned into the visage of confusion, and a firm frown grew on the old man’s face. “And what evidence do you have that they seek Jinchuuriki? The Akatsuki this village knows is but a simple mercenary group.”

“A merc-” Sakura bit her tongue, thinking back to her experience with Hidan and Kakuzu. They had simply been seeking a bounty, that was true, but all of the information Konoha had gathered on the organization had suggested they were after the Beasts. So why would they be posing as a mercenary organization?

Unless…

“It makes sense.” She spoke aloud. “Pose as a mercenary group so that a village comes to trust you. It allows you access to a village without arousing suspicion. Iwa is known for having...tight security.” She glanced over to the woman who’d escorted her here, and the woman gave a small shrug. “So if they wanted to approach your Jinchuuriki, it’s a safer bet to gain your trust, Lord Tsuchikage, that way they can gather information and find the best possible approach with minimal risk to themselves.”

It was smart. She wondered now if Akatsuki had tried a similar approach with Konoha, and perhaps failed, since Konoha seemed to know more about them than most. (Konoha, it seemed, had information gatherers a bit more adept than other countries.)

Onoki had gone deep into thought, but all at once, with a way of his hand, he summoned the nearby woman closer. “Kurotsuchi, you’ll deal with this, then?”

“At once, Lord Tsuchikage.”

The woman disappeared in a gust of wind, and for some reason being without her near made Sakura even more worried about standing in front of the Tsuchikage.

“Giving such information freely is unbecoming of a shinobi. But I am not so dense as to not take advantage of a good thing when it comes my way.” Onoki admitted, moving to stand to his feet. Sakura heard several cracks as the older man positioned himself, wondering briefly how lethal he could be if his body was already starting to work against him. “I will not allow strangers near any of my shinobi, especially not my Jinchuuriki. For all you have told me, I still have no reason to believe you aren’t working for Konoha in some way.” He gestured for another shinobi to come forth. “You will be taken to a holding cell until we decide what to do with you. I suggest, if your intentions are pure, that you do not attempt anything rash.” 

“...I will not, Lord Tsuchikage.”

 

-

 

And Sakura didn’t, though she could tell that being put into a cell was not necessarily a comforting experience for Gaara. But what good would resisting imprisonment do? The Tsuchikage hadn’t had her killed on sight, which was probably a better treatment than most Konoha shinobi would receive, and getting on the man’s good side was the only way she could guarantee any sort of chance of meeting with the village Jinchuuriki.

Still, she felt...guilty. She had no idea where Sai was or what he was going through, but as someone who was  _ definitely _ associated with Konoha still, she was certain he wasn’t getting a royal welcome. 

Sakura sighed, plopping down on the floor with an angry huff. For the first time in a while, she felt...powerless. Perhaps a small part of her had been hoping that all the details would iron out as she went, that the Tsuchikage might not be so distrusting, that maybe…

They could just waltz into an enemy village and not deal with the consequences?

She was stupid. Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid _ .

“I don’t want to die here.” She admitted to Gaara.

“You won’t.”

“I don’t want to start a fight either. We came here to meet with the Jinchuuriki, and here I was, stupid enough to think it would be easy. At the very best we’re going to get kicked out and never allowed back in again. At worst, Tsuchikage figures we’re traitors, tortures us, takes the Ichibi from you, and we die.”

“That won’t happen.”

“You don’t know that!” Sakura snapped. “I didn’t know that! I got optimistic after Plains and I...I shouldn’t have.” 

Gaara crouched down in front of her, and Sakura’s eyes met his. Strangely, the boy seemed more determined than she’d ever seen him.

“You’re wrong. Optimism is the reason I pulled myself from the darkness. You...and Naruto...you both believed I could be something better. Would you have thought that impossible, when we first met?”

Sakura held her tongue. She would have, but she didn’t want to admit it aloud. Not when Gaara had become…

Had become her best friend.

Gaara, the Demon of the Desert, Gaara who had killed more people than she could bear to know about, Gaara who had threatened her and her team, Gaara who had almost damaged Lee beyond all repair, Gaara who had…

Who had done all those horrible things, and yet here he was, at her side in a cell in Iwagakure, ready to fight with her,  _ die _ for her.

And now...now she might just do the same for him.

She couldn’t help but smile, because he was  _ right _ , and somehow,  _ somehow _ Gaara was learning exactly what to say to lift her spirits. “Alright, alright. I’ll admit you have a point. I won’t give up hope just yet. But if stuff goes to hell-”

“It won’t.”

“...right.” Sakura nodded. “It won’t.”

 

-

 

The next day, she was summoned before the Tsuchikage again. 

She was taken to the same training building as before, only this time she was led into the actual arena itself. The room was daunting, and Sakura couldn’t help but notice that there were shinobi on the upper levels, watching the scene below. 

The Tsuchikage awaited her, with his large bodyguard standing but a few feet behind him. Though he was much shorter than Sakura, his crossed arms and stern glare were still enough to intimidate. Sakura swallowed hard, grateful that Gaara was with her.

“I’ve been thinking long and hard about a great many things, Sakura Haruno.” The Tsuchikage began. “About your desire to speak with my Jinchuuriki. About the information you have given us. About Konoha...and about where we go from here. Do you still claim to no longer be affiliated with the place of your birth?”

“I...I do.” Sakura admitted. She had no choice, really, if she wanted to keep with the Tsuchikage’s favor. (Not barring the fact that, well, she still doubted if Konoha would take her back, after everything.)

“Before I even consider allowing you to remain here, I will need proof of your neutrality.” Onoki demanded. There was a look in his eyes, a look that Sakura couldn’t quite place. With a wave of his hand, Sakura heard footsteps start from behind her. When she turned to look, she saw a familiar face.

It was Sai. A haggard and exhausted Sai, but he was  _ alive _ . She let out a small sigh of relief, up until the Tsuchikage spoke again.

“This boy has all but confirmed that he is a member of Konoha’s Root division. Root has infiltrated our lands and stolen children from within our borders to be brainwashed to its design. Root has attempted assassinations upon my life and the life of other shinobi within my village. What do you have to say to that, Haruno?”

Stolen...stolen  _ children _ ? Sakura looked back to Onoki in disbelief. Already she had deduced enough from Sai to know that Root wasn’t the most pure of organizations but...it had  _ stolen foreign children for its program _ ? How the Hokage not known about this? How had the Hokage not  _ done something _ ?

“I…” She stammered as the realization of the Tsuchikage’s statement began to sink in. “I think...such actions are deplorable. No one should use a child for their ends, no matter where the child is from.”

“That is the answer of a sane shinobi. But Konoha has allowed these transgressions to occur for decades without accepting retribution for their actions, or even accepting that they occur at all. This Anbu boy has been willingly complacent in these actions, and perhaps even participated in them. Since he cannot tell us, due to that troublesome seal, we must assume guilty. He will be executed today to send a message to Konoha.”

Executed? Sakura couldn’t hold back an expression of disbelief. No, she couldn’t allow him to be executed, she just…

He was innocent, right?

She looked back to Sai, desperate, but the boy had nothing to say. Of course, how  _ could _ he have anything to say with that stupid seal? But maybe, maybe if he could just look her in the eyes, she could know, she  _ would _ know that he hadn’t at least directly participated in any of this…

But he didn’t look. He merely hung his head as he was forced to kneel down on the ground, arms restrained. 

“I give you this opportunity, Haruno.” The Tsuchikage continued. “If you truly no longer have any loyalty to Konoha, then you can admit to yourself that this execution is just. If so, then I ask you execute this shinobi yourself. If you do this, I will allow you and your companion to meet with my Jinchuuriki, and you will have my full cooperation and consent to remain in Iwa for as long as you desire.”

Her...execute Sai?

She couldn’t. She just couldn’t. Already the thought of taking another life made her sick to her stomach. She thought of the Plains shinobi, burnt into a crisp at her hands, an image that still, occasionally, haunted her dreams. That had been more accident than purpose. This...this would be willingly taking a life. She wouldn’t be able to turn back from this. 

And it was  _ Sai _ . Maybe Sai was a little rought around the edges, maybe his nicknames a little harsh, but...he was a person, a boy who was just as much a victim to Root as anyone else.

“What if I refuse?”

“Then you will be escorted out of the village and never allowed to return. The Anbu will be executed regardless. It is better treatment than an ally of Konoha deserves.”

So Sai was...doomed to death regardless of what action she took. All because he had followed her here.

All because of her.

She really was  _ stupid _ .

The logical part of her brain argued that she should at least take advantage of the opportunity being offered. Sai was doomed either way. If she got over herself,  _ got over herself _ , and did what needed to be done...she could meet with the village Jinchuuriki. Do what she came to do. She and Gaara would be safe in Iwa, they could learn, they could…

But she’d be killing  _ Sai _ , the other part of her brain argued back. She’d be killing someone who could be innocent. Who had spoken with her, listened to her, shared pieces of himself with her.

And he was going to die today, at her hands or the hands of another.

Sakura looked to Onoki, trying not to show how desperately she was arguing with herself. His face was...unreadable. The face of someone who was steadfast in what needed to be done.

The Tsuchikage would not change his mind, Sakura deduced. There was no possible way...no way to save Sai’s life today, was there?

No way at all.

She drew her kunai, and next to her, she saw Gaara tense.

“Sakura…”

“Trust me.”

She had already acted stupid by coming here. Already hadn’t thought enough steps ahead to know that this kind of situation had been inevitable. She’d dragged Sai into this, and she was about to drag Gaara into this too.

But, as she’d told Gaara…

They didn’t have to be killers.

Something in Sakura clicked. This wasn’t just about Jinchuuriki anymore. This was about Iwa and Konoha and it was in  _ her _ hands. Kill Sai, and Konoha would never take her back. It might even start a war, if it was found out that Iwa was responsible, whether or not her involvement was learned. This action, killing Sai, there was no good ending to that story. Didn’t the Tsuchikage know that? Couldn’t he see that this wasn’t a solution?

If he couldn’t...well, she would  _ make  _ him see.

She stopped in front of Sai, looking him in the eyes before reaching down and cutting his bonds free with her kunai. She turned to face Onoki, defiant and feeling...more powerful than she had any right to.

“I won’t perpetuate the violence. You have no proof this boy has done anything wrong, and killing him would only spark war between Stone and Leaf. If you’re looking for an excuse to start a war, you will not find it with me.”

“And are you prepared to die by those words, girl?” Onoki’s eyes met her own again, with that same unreadable expression. “Is this Anbu worth your life?”

There was no hesitation from her. Not anymore.

“Yes.”

Strangely, Onoki smiled, and Sakura wondered if maybe, just maybe…

Something was up.

“Then prove it, Sakura Haruno.” Onoki demanded. “Prove it, and defend him with your life.”

All at once, the other shinobi in the arena disappeared. Only Onoki was left behind, and in the blink of an eye, he was  _ coming _ . 

Sakura’s first thoughts were that if she fought a Kage, she would die. 

Her second thought was that if the Tsuchikage had been taking this seriously, she would have been dead already.

Two paces. The Tsuchikage had taken two paces towards her, and in her mind’s eye she began to calculate how much time she had before it was too late.

There had been two shinobi escorting Sai into this arena, and Onoki’d had a bodyguard, all of whom had left. Plus, there were shinobi in the upper area, watching this battle. The Tsuchikage had chosen an arena for this exchange.

(Knowing, perhaps, that it would come down to a fight one way or another. Which meant, of course, that this had never been about Sai to begin with. The Tsuchikage had been testing  _ her _ .)

Four paces. She saw flickers of sand, and she knew, without a doubt, that Gaara would protect her. (But would he protect  _ Sai _ ?) There was no way she had the skill needed to take down a Kage, and there was no way Onoki hadn’t put that together. (Unless, of course, he’d assumed that in her takedown of Hiroshi, she was stronger than she seemed.) 

But this wasn’t about  _ beating _ the Tsuchikage, it was about protecting Sai.

And that was something she had just sworn to do with her life.

Prove it, Onoki had asked.

And she would.

Two things happened at once.

The first was that a wall sprung up around her and Sai. Gaara’s sand, to Sakura’s relief.

The second was that Sakura slammed her hand down onto the ground without thinking, and summoned forth a pillar of earth right where she predicted Onoki would land.

As Gaara’s sand crumbled back to the ground, she saw a pile of dirt land where Onoki had once stood. An Earth-style substitution, and a quick glance around the room revealed that the man had reappeared behind her. She instinctively moved between him and Sai, and by that time Gaara had made his way over, already summoning forth more sand around them. As Onoki charged again, the sand gathered and solidified into a ball around them. Gaara’s ultimate defense.

Sakura felt a rumbling ‘slam’ as the Kage’s attack landed against the sand...but the sand held.

And there they sat, in total darkness.

Sakura took a quick breath before reaching into her pocket for a match. She’d picked some up at the small mountain village, remembering the last time she’d been in such a situation. The match flickered to life, and she was greeted by the determined visage of Gaara, and a rather confused Sai.

“You should have killed me.” Sai commented. “It would have gotten you what you wanted.”

“And I told you, I’m not a killer. And...I told you I’d prove you wrong, didn’t I?” She gave Sai a smile. “We can make the world a better-” She was cut off as another of the Kage’s techniques slammed against Gaara’s wall. “A b-better place.” She finished, wondering how long Gaara could hold.

“You seem real confident there, Fisticuffs.”

“Sai, now is  _ really _ not the time to sass me, considering we’re the only things standing between you and death.”

And since she really  _ wasn’t _ sure how long Gaara could hold, she needed to go onto the offensive. She needed to come up with a plan. She had been the smartest kunoichi of her year, she just needed to sit down and  _ think _ .

The arena...it had been huge, but she could see it in her mind, see the fallen pillars and boulders from the battle before. She knelt down and began to draw an outline of the arena in the dirt, estimating their own position and using a quick sensing jutsu to determine where the Tsuchikage was attacking from. He was moving, rapidly, probably using close range jutsu to attack. The first thing she needed to do was get him away from their defense, or else Gaara wouldn’t last.

She reached into her pouch, pulling out some explosive tags. Well, this attack had worked before, and while she doubted she could catch a Kage off guard enough to kill him, she could at least distract him enough to put a halt to his barrage of attacks. 

It would require a well timed Tunneling Technique, a rapid use of her sensing jutsu to determine Onoki’s location, and...well, a bit of luck. 

She took a deep breath, and activated her sensing jutsu.

One pulse. To the forward right, moving to the left. If he kept up that pathway…

She put the match between her teeth, ignoring the heat of the flame as she made the hand-signs required for the technique. A tunnel appeared before her, and without even asking, Gaara handed her a small ball of earth. She put an explosive tag around it, dropped it into the hole, and then resealed the tunnel.

Then, her sensing jutsu again. The Kage’s energy had quickly flickered to the other side of the room, no doubt in an effort to avoid her technique. But that had given her a quick break, and Gaara as well, though…

The sand around them began to falter. Even Gaara had his limits, it seemed, though he managed to keep a single wall between them and Onoki. A single wall would have to be enough.

“Just focus on defense, Gaara!” Sakura called out, preparing to make another tunnel. Now that they were no longer encased in sand, she could at least  _ see _ Onoki, which meant no need to waste chakra on her sensing technique. Now, it was  _ their _ turn to attack. 

Her hands rapidly flew as she created tunnel after tunnel, using bomb after bomb in an attempt to keep the Kage at bay. She couldn’t help but notice a smile on the old man’s face. (Was he  _ enjoying _ this battle?) But she couldn’t keep this up for long, she only had so many explosive tags, and it wasn’t as if she had time to write more in the heat of the moment.

And then she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Give me a scroll and some ink.”

“I...I don’t have any blank ones!” Sakura protested. But...was Sai actually trying to help? Well, she supposed it made sense, his life  _ was _ on the line. “All I have are my storage scrolls, and…” Well, she wasn’t going to let him draw all over her sensing scroll.

“It doesn’t matter. The storage scrolls will do if I can find a blank space.”

Well, if he was sure…

Sakura obliged, handing him one of her storage scrolls, as well as her ink brush. Sai quickly unraveled the scroll on the ground, finding an empty corner and scrolling quicker than Sakura would have thought possible. Small birds came to life from the page, flying past her, around Gaara’s wall, and towards the Tsuchikage. Now, Onoki had to deal with Sai’s birds  _ and _ Sakura’s attacks. She would be out of explosive tags soon, but since she had line of sight, she could use her Reverse Tunneling to attack the man with pillars instead. If they could land just one hit, it was possible that would buy them enough time to start heading for the arena’s exit…

Of course, they’d have all the  _ other _ Iwa shinobi to contest with. All the shinobi that hadn’t joined the fight with their Kage. They were simply watching...as though Onoki himself had ordered them not to interfere.

This  _ wasn’t _ serious. This was a test. Onoki had wanted to see how far she’d go to keep Sai alive, and damn it all, she was going to  _ show him. _

What mattered now, more than anything, was that she had to get at least one solid hit on that bastard.

The old man was stupidly fast for his age, and he was small enough that it made him a difficult target. Plus, he had encased his fists in rock, similar to the newest technique Sakura had picked up, and was using it to effortlessly smash through her and Sai’s attacks. He was on the defensive, but it wouldn’t be for long. These techniques were draining her chakra, and if it was an endurance battle, Sakura would assuredly lose. She needed to make the opening, and fast.

She looked down at the diagram at her feet, and all at once she saw it. The opening.

There was one part of the arena where boulders and pillars had fallen just so...if Onoki was distracted, the shadow of the debris might just disguise a well place tunnel. All they had to do was maneuver him to that spot and then…

Well, she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to use the last of the explosive tags on this. She might need them for the escape from the village. But there was something else she could do. Something stupid and reckless that might pay off even more than the explosive tags might. 

“Gaara, Sai, I need you to direct him here.” She drew an X on the spot she’d noticed. “And then...Gaara, I’m going to need your help with something.”

A few handsigns later, she’d made the tunnel that she needed. This time, she wouldn’t be using a ball of sand for ammo.

This time she’d be using herself.

“Gaara, watch me.” She ordered, quickly running through the hand signs needed to reseal the tunnel she’d made. “Once I’m in the tunnel, I need you to seal it behind me.”

“But Sakura-”

“I’ll jump in once the Tsuchikage is in position, so you won’t have long. You’ll need to be quick, but if we time this right, I’ll pop up on the other side, and I can use the momentum to get a hit on him. I’ll be like a human arrow under the ground.”

“It’s too dangerous!”

“But it will probably be hilarious.”

Gaara and Sakura both glanced at Sai, who had an unreadable smile on his face. If it weren’t for the fact that Gaara was focused on his sand defense, Sakura feared he might have killed the Anbu.

“D-don’t worry about me, we just need to do it. Trust me, Gaara, I’ll be alright. And I need to know you’ll have my back.”

“Of course I will.” Gaara answered, though he still sounded unsure. But they didn’t have time for unsure. Sai had started up his barrage of ink birds again, and the Tsuchikage was almost in position.

Sakura took a deep breath, and she dropped into her hole.

With a crouch, she positioned herself in the direction the tunnel would be sending her. Then, she made a single hand sign.

She felt a push behind her as the tunnel began to seal, shooting her towards the other end. At the same time, she pushed chakra to her hand, and began to draw the earth around her fist. 

 

Sakura Haruno rocketed out of her tunnel faster than even her own eye could process. But she didn’t need to see to know that her punch had landed, and it had landed  _ hard _ . The force sent Onoki rocketing backwards into the nearby wall of the arena, and she heard a sickening crack as both wall and man collided.

She’d...hit a  _ Kage _ .

_ She’d hit a Kage _ .

The old man landed on his feet, of course. A testament to his rank, of course, Sakura hadn’t expected to seriously injure the man with her hit, but the fact that she had landed the hit regardless was enough to make her swell with pride for a brief moment. 

What she didn’t expect was for the man to immediately start laughing.

His laugh was hearty and strong, and as he stood Sakura heard several more crack as he straightened.

“Son of a bitch, you popped my back! Not even Akatsuchi’s been able to pull that off!” 

Sakura let out a small groan. All that work and she’d just... _ helped the man out _ ? If all she could manage was to crack an old man’s back, then maybe she hadn’t gotten stronger after all.

But, even more strangely, Onoki did not make a move to attack them again. He simply continued to laugh as he walked forward towards Sakura. She was wary, but it soon became apparent that, whatever this fight was...it was over.

“You see...that’s what I’m talking about. Innovation.” Onoki continued. “I’ve never seen a technique as stupidly reckless as that before, but damn if that wouldn’t have knocked most men clean to Kumogakure!” He laughed for a moment longer before clapping his hands together. “Alright, alright, I’m sold. You’re the one I’ve been looking for after all.”

“Looking for?” Sakura was, to put it mildly, baffled. “Just what was this whole fight about, anyway?”

“I needed to make sure you had the gumption to back your convictions, Haruno. And you’ve sure got more gumption than anyone I’ve seen in quite a long time. Nobody’s been able to land a hit that good on me in decades. You’ve got the strength of mind and the strength of body. Just the kind of shinobi I’ve been looking for, for something...big.”

Something...big. Sakura felt her knees begin to wobble as the weight of the fight sunk in. She felt Gaara’s arms around her all at once, holding her up. (Which she was infinitely grateful for; the last thing she needed was to pass out in front of the Tsuchikage.)

“Sakura Haruno.” Onoki continued. “What would you say to helping an old man save the world from itself?”

Save...the world? 

A million thoughts seemed to pass through Sakura’s head all at once. Of all the things she had been expecting out of meeting with the Tsuchikage, hearing those words hadn’t been among any of her top expectations. Saving the world? What sort of madness had she gotten herself wrapped up in by coming to Iwa?

“Um.” Sakura said eloquently. 

“Excellent.” Onoki beamed. “Let’s talk over dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((*throws self on the ground* I can't believe I stayed up til one am finishing this chapter but hey, I won't have time to do it this weekend, so you all can have this episode early.
> 
> This is where, to quote Kalenmarc, canon really gets yeeted out the window. Hope ya'll like my ridiculous Iwa headcanons.))


	24. Chapter 24

Iwa food was hearty and warm.

Sakura had been served something akin to a stew, using thick vegetables she'd never tasted before and tender meat from the goats that populated the mountainside. It wasn't spicy, not like Suna food, but it was flavorful and comforting. Sakura found herself wanting to learn the recipe. (And thinking, briefly to herself, that Naruto would love the dish.)

Hearty and warm also seemed to describe Onoki, now that they were no longer on opposite sides of a battlefield. He cracked jokes with his fellow shinobi, gave them hell when appropriate, and laughed loud and long when something caught his amusement. It was strange, at first. Sakura had read so much about Onoki at Konoha, about how menacing he was on the battlefield, how ruthless, distrusting…

But now he could have easily passed for someone's crotchety grandfather.

Which he was, Sakura came to realize. Her woman escort, Kurotsuchi,  _ was _ his granddaughter, and there was a sort of established banter between them wherein Kurotsuchi would do her best to be respectful and Onoki would go above and beyond to attempt to elicit a reaction.

Sakura thought of her parents, still at home, wondering, perhaps, if she was still alive. She'd never been terribly close with her family, not like this. Her father worked hard, a civilian architect, and her mother volunteered at various places in the village. The Haruno family were hard workers, she'd been told, and even though Sakura was the first shinobi of her family line, it had been expected that she would work hard too, and succeed. There was no time for playing around. No time to tease or taunt. 

(So she'd studied and read and played everything by the book and...now here she was. She didn't want to linger on what her parents would think of her now. A missing shinobi. A traitor.)

Gaara too seemed equally quiet in the face of such a boisterous family. He wouldn't have had anything like this, Sakura realized, or...maybe would have been kept from it. She could picture witty Temari and hot-headed Kankuro in a debate at the dinner table...but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't picture Gaara with them. 

Something, she supposed, she could relate to him about.

So in the heat of the moment she nudged Gaara with her hand, letting a mischievous grin come to her face. “Come on, Gaara, you need to eat up, or you're never going to get taller than me.”

Gaara turned beet red at the statement, something that Sakura couldn't help but giggle over, but she was drowned out by Onoki's sudden outburst.

“Don’t you listen to her, boy, I've been Kage for decades and I haven't needed an inch!”

“That's fair.” Sakura retorted. “If you'd been a couple inches shorter, Lord Tsuchikage, I might have missed my punch.”

The man's laughter seemed to overwhelm the table, and though Kurotsuchi looked abashed, Onoki was only egged on. “See, that's what this girl has that you don't, Kurotsuchi. Gumption! And she's gonna need it to keep the Kage in line, I'll tell you that.”

It was as good a time to ask as any. So Sakura cleared her throat and began. “So...what exactly do you think I’m going to be doing for the villages anyway, Lord Tsuc-”

“Bah, just call me Onoki, for now, Haruno, we can't waste time with that mouthful every time you want to speak with me.” Onoki pushed away his dish and folded his arms, shifting gears as the conversation did. “Do you know, Haruno, why Iwa is so leery of Konoha?”

“No, Lord...Onoki.”

“In the early years, when I was quite young, your first Hokage Hashirama tried to broker peace between the five new villages, you see. He was the one who offered us Tailed Beasts, so that there might be balanced power between us. We bickered for weeks on borders and treaties and the like, but eventually my predecessor came to an agreement and we were at peace.” Onoki pulled a small pipe out from his coat and began to light it as he spoke. “And then  _ he _ came.”

“He?”

“Madara Uchiha.”

The name sent a small shiver down Sakura's spine. Not just because Madara was a village founder, not just because he was an ancestor of Sasuke...but because she'd seen the waterfall that had resulted due to Madara's battle with the First.

Madara was a legend. A nightmare.

“Hashirama desired peace. Madara, however, only desired control. He waged battle against myself and the second Tsuchikage in an attempt to get Iwa to bow to Konoha. And while he did not succeed at the time...it was luck that he did not get the chance to come finish his work. Luck and the work of Hashirama. But the seeds of doubt had already been sown. If Hashirama could not control one Uchiha, how could he control an entire clan? And for that matter...how could we?”

Sakura shivered again. Madara Uchiha, strong enough to take one  _ two _ Tsuchikages. This part, she hadn't known. And why would she? Madara may have turned against Hashirama, but he was still a founder, still an Uchiha.

The clan that was the pride of Konoha...it couldn't take such slander. Even if it was  _ true _ .

“I couldn't blame him, you know.” Onoki continued, sending a small puff of smoke into the sky. “If I’d thought for a moment that I could dominate Konoha, I would have. I  _ have _ tried, in the past. War is easy when you have doubts and ambitions for your village. We all think of ourselves and our own, at the end of the day. You may not swear loyalty to Konoha anymore, but you cannot deny that you still feel a desire to aid them. That if they called, it would be difficult not to answer.”

It was true. Sakura held her head low, unwilling to answer when Onoki already knew the truth. Konoha was her  _ home _ . Wasn't it?

“This is why, Haruno. Why the villages can never have peace. So long as we seek our own benefit, we will only rarely work for the benefit of others. Only when our goals align. If we want peace, we need someone who is willing to go between. Someone who can force compromises. Someone who can work for the good of  _ all _ shinobi and not just their own. I am an old man, Haruno. I think now about the village I will leave behind and I am afraid. But if you and I can create something...peaceful. Something everlasting. I could rest easy.”

“But you said it yourself, I still feel for Konoha.” Sakura protested. “Why me? Why trust an enemy at all? I just saved a Konoha Anbu from execution-”

“But you did not do it  _ because _ he was of Konoha.” Onoki argued. “You did it because it was  _ right _ . If that Anbu had been from any other village you would have done it, and that was what I saw in you. In our fight. You have ties to Konoha, but now? Now you have ties to others. People. Places. Plains and their leader owe you a debt. How did it help Konoha to aid them? Plains has no alliance with anyone but us here in Iwa, and even that you did not know of. You aided them because you saw a cruel man in Hiroshi and could not help but act. That is what is needed. What will be  _ necessary _ in the days to come, or else we shinobi will destroy each other.” There was another breath of smoke from the man, and he chuckled. “You say you came here to learn of Jinchuuriki. Your teammate...given what Konoha has done in the past, it is correct to assume he contains the Kyuubi? Born to be a tool of war. All Jinchuuriki are.”

Sakura avoided giving Gaara a glance. Onoki didn’t know yet, couldn't know…

“But in a peaceful world, such things would not be necessary. The Jinchuuriki, just simple containers for the Beasts. You want to protect your teammate? Ensure a world where those like him needn't be used.”

“I...I get it.” Sakura nodded. “But...I don’t know if I'm really the person you want. I'm not Madara. I wouldn't have been able to protect Iwa from him. If I'm supposed to be neutral, I'd need to be strong enough to prevent the villages from killing each other, and I'm not...I couldn't be…”

“You're wrong.”

Sakura blinked as Gaara spoke up, for the first time since dinner had began. “You're wrong.” He repeated. “You can be strong enough. But you can also…” He looked away, uncharacteristically embarrassed. “Be kind enough.”

And Sakura couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed herself.

“He's right, you know. On both accounts. You will need strength, but more importantly, diplomacy. Stop the fight from happening to begin with.” Kurotsuchi spoke up this time. “Diffuse the hotheads and appeal to both sides. There’s no need to fight if people are not dissatisfied. And if both sides believe that you understand their perspective, they can trust you.”

“I...get the feeling you guys have been sitting on this idea for a while.”

“You could say that.” Onoki smirked. “We were waiting for an opportunity, you might say. And here you come along, like fate. I had originally intended to groom an Iwa genin but the other villages might be more liable to believe my intentions if I work with someone who is Konoha affiliated instead. You know as well as anyone that we are infamous for our feuds.”

“To say the least.” Sakura took a deep breath. “I'm...still not sure it's me you want. But I am already planning on traveling to a few places to speak with Jinchuuriki. I could...breach the subject to others.”

“Then we have a start.” Onoki nodded. “If you pledge yourself to this...project, I will openly pledge myself to it as well. Plains will no doubt sign on, given what you've done for them. That's two villages dedicated to a neutrality project already. You just have...how many other damn villages are there again?”

“No more than a dozen.” Kurotsuchi answered methodically. “Waterfall is close by, and Sound, that's been newly founded. There’s Cloud, Hot Water, Mist, Grass, Leaf, Sand…”

A lot, Sakura realized, a pit in her stomach growing. This project was huge, and the Tsuchikage seemed so confident, but she just couldn't find the ‘gumption’ Onoki claimed she had. How could she possibly coerce every village to get along? How could she-

“Haruno!”

Sakura snapped to attention, getting a laugh out of Onoki. “You don't think I plan to send you into this unprepared, do you?”

“...that had been my impression.”

“Incorrect. If we do this, we ensure it's done right. And that, my girl...that means training you up so you can knock some sense into us Kage.” Onoki grew serious, and his smile turned devious as he looked to Sakura. “And you'll be given the prestigious honor of training under  _ me. _ ”

Sakura swallowed hard, and Onoki just laughed.

 

-

 

“I just think he's out of his gourd, Gaara! I am a missing shinobi from  _ Konoha _ , barely even a genin, I accidentally overthrow one shinobi and he wants to pin this huge diplomatic project on me?”

Sakura needed time to vent, Gaara realized. She was a very loud person,  whether she admitted it or not, and sometimes she just needed to get her voice out. He was quiet while she talked, which she seemed to like, and he didn’t mind listening. He was suspicious to Onoki’s intentions, there  _ had  _ to be more to it than this, but what bothered Gaara was that Sakura couldn't believe herself worthy of the project to begin with.

Buried deep within Sakura, coming out only when it was the two of them, was the shattered remnants of Sakura's self-esteem, if there was anything left of it at all. She always viewed herself as an inferior shinobi. The one who let Sasuke down. The one who couldn't stand at Naruto's side.

She just couldn't see it. Couldn't see what she'd  _ accomplished. _

**Teenage girls and self esteem problems go hand in hand, kid. You just haven't seen enough women.**

“What do you think, Gaara, am I being stupid for even considering this?” Sakura had turned to him now. “He said he'd  _ train _ me.  _ Me _ . Trained by the fucking Tsuchikage. Me. Sakura Haruno. A civilian genin with  _ nothing _ interesting under her belt.”

“Sakura.” Gaara repeated. “You’re wrong.”

“I got  _ lucky _ , Gaara. And you have been protecting me this entire way, it's not like it's me alone doing this.”

“And you won’t be alone if you continue to do this.”

Sakura let out a small sigh, but Gaara caught the hint of a smile on her face. “...yeah, I...I know that, Gaara, I wasn't trying to say I'm kicking you off the team or anything. I just feel like...well, he'd be better off teaching you, you know. You've got...more to you than I do.”

**She's right, I am pretty awesome.**

Gaara mentally told Shukaku to can it. He was about to speak again when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Sakura groaned slightly before going to answer, and as Gaara watched he caught sight of Sai as Sakura opened the door.

...great.

“He's being released into your custody for the moment.” He heard the woman, Kurotsuchi, announce. “If you can't watch him, he's to be under Iwa guard.”

“Oh, so that's why this apartment has three bedrooms.”

The Tsuchikage had granted them living quarters, since they were his “guests”. Gaara, of course, couldn't tell them that he couldn't sleep without raising suspicion, but he'd been more than curious when he'd found three bedrooms in their little block. Now, of course, it made sense.

He'd been enjoying the privacy with Sakura, damn it all, and now the Anbu was back.

Sai was blissfully silent, at least, and Gaara got the brief satisfaction of seeing the boy in handcuffs before he was promptly relieved of them. From there, it was back to fake smiles and Sakura...well, it wasn't just the two of them anymore.

Gaara had heard about the concept of jealousy, but experiencing it firsthand, he had to admit it was a more souring feeling than others had described it. He remembered vaguely the feeling of jealousy as a child...wishing he had friends, a family that loved him, but all of those feelings had washed away when…

Feeling bitter, Gaara quietly slipped through a window and made his way to a roof.

Sai wasn't stupid enough to attack Sakura here, and Iwa wouldn't have put this much effort into making Sakura comfortable just to assassinate her later. He could allow himself a moment of solitude. (Something he hadn't had in...weeks now, Gaara realized. How long had they even been traveling?)

**I still say you should kill him.**

Gaara felt bad that he agreed with Shukaku in this instance. But he'd been dealing with those thoughts since Sai had joined them.

He could train, while he was up here, instead of feeling sorry for himself.

**Fine, fine, I get the hint. Focus your chakra, brat, and make sure the layer's thick this time.**

Gaara did so.

It would be a lie to say this training hadn’t been inspired by a certain Konoha taijutsu specialist, but Gaara had been surprised that Shukaku had paid enough attention to come up with the idea in the first place. The point had been made that Gaara's taijutsu was atrocious, and if they ever faced an enemy that could counter Gaara's sand effectively, he would be, as Shukaku put it, shit out of luck. 

So Shukaku had devised a training strategy, and the first step was pushing Gaara's body to its limits.

Gaara already had learned to maneuver naturally with a layer of protective sand, which was fairly heavy. Shukaku had shown him, after demanding Gaara release the layer, that this had actually trained his muscles somewhat. (Similar to how Rock Lee's weights had functioned.) If Gaara continued to thicken the layer while he trained, using dense, heavy sand, his body would be that much stronger when the sand was removed.

So Gaara compacted the earth around him, mixing it with his sand and creating a thick layer that weighed him down significantly.

From there, Shukaku began to teach.

Gaara found it odd that the Ichibi knew a taijutsu style, and even odder that it wasn't a style that was taught at any Suna academy. The forms favored deep stances, drawing power from the hips and from the stability the forms relied upon. When his sand layer was on, the sheer weight he carried with him would make him impossible to easily move, if he held stance. When the layers were off, his raw punching power would increase significantly, especially now, as Shukaku said, that he was ‘learning it the right way’.

**This style existed long before you were born, brat.** Shukaku began to lecture as Gaara practiced forms.  **Each of these kata demonstrates potential killing blows. Now bend your legs further. Push your knees in. This stance is the stance of the Half-Moon. Each breath draws upon chakra and builds it within you. This is the form of a man who will not be moved.**

He definitely wasn't going to be moving after practicing these stances. His body was going to hurt too damned much  _ to _ move.

**Don’t sass me brat. And straighten your back.**

Gaara listened. He'd never been one to disobey Shukaku, after all. But as he practised, he couldn't help but wonder where Shukaku had picked up the knowledge of such forms. The first Jinchuuriki, perhaps?

**Nah, it was before that time, kid. Before your shithole of a village sealed me away.**

Shukaku sounded wistful. Remembering a better time, perhaps?

**You could say that.**

Gaara took a deep breath, visible in the air as the temperature continued to plummet with the coming night. Having the sand around him helped keep him warm, but Gaara still found that he wasn't very fond of the cold. It brought a strange ache to his body that he wasn’t used to. (He wasn't used to pain  _ at all _ , really.) Coupled with the soreness of his nightly training...Gaara's body felt absolutely miserable.

But he was getting stronger. And if he got stronger, he could keep Sakura safe.

 

All at once,  _ energy _ appeared.

 

It was like a rush, hitting him all at once and causing his sand to rile around him. Gaara only remembered feeling an energy like this once before, and that had been  _ Naruto _ . But Naruto couldn't be here, which meant…

He turned to meet the energy face to face, and he saw a giant of a man.

The man towered over him by at least two feet, if not more. He was covered in an armor that was a staggering red and brown, even shrouding the lower half of his face with it. Atop his head was a wide brimmed hat, also red. The man stood out, and yet Gaara had not felt his presence until mere moments before the man's arrival.

He was... _ strong _ .

And as Gaara saw his eyes squint, he realized the man was smiling at him.

“Hello.”

Gaara hadn't realized it, but he'd subconsciously dropped into the new stance, hands held out in a defensive position. Maybe this man was a Jinchuuriki, but...well, he remembered how he used to be. How stable was this man? Or was he more similar to Naruto?

“I'm Han.” The man continued. With a small grunt, he sat down on the roof, still large enough that he was almost at Gaara's eye height regardless. “I heard Miss Haruno was here to speak with Jinchuuriki, but I hadn't heard she was with one.”

“We haven't told anyone.” Gaara replied immediately. This man...he could put them in danger, if word spread about who Gaara was.

“Oh. Well that's fine.”

There was silence, and Gaara held his stance as he regarded the man. Han simply watched him in return, speaking only after the silence had become unbearable.

“So what's your name?”

“...Gaara.” 

“And you're with the Ichibi? You must be from Suna, then. I've met a few people from there. Usually had to kill them, though.” Han let out a sigh that sounded melancholy. “But I don’t like killing them, you know.”

“You...don't?”

Gaara had been told that all of the Tailed Beasts were ravenous, bloodthirsty monsters. And even if he and Naruto had learned not to listen to their beasts, that didn't change that Shukaku enjoyed fresh blood and the Kyuubi had attacked an entire village.

**Well, it's the damn horse, that's why. Always a bloody pacifist.**

A pacifist Beast?

“Kokuo prefers to stay out of fights, if we can help it. But sometimes the village needs us. That's why we were put together. Now, Roshi on the other ha-”

Energy hit Gaara like a wave all at once again, and in a blink Gaara saw a new man appear, slamming a hand over Han's mouth. Gaara first noticed a shock of red hair, similar to his own, before taking in magenta robes and a pointed headpiece. 

“Han, what did I tell you about spouting off to the enemy? You said you were just coming to look!”

Han gently peeled the other man's hand off with ease. “He's the Ichibi, Roshi. He's just like us.”

“Oh boy. He'll kill us in our sleep that much easier then.”

“I remember when you said that about me.” Han answered pleasantly. “And now you can't fall asleep unless I-”

Roshi slammed his hand back against Han's mouth with enough force to rock the man's head slightly. 

**And the monkey. Great. Now I’m doomed for a headache.**

Gaara wondered briefly if he might be too.

But they were here, right here in front of him. Other Jinchuuriki! And even if one of them seemed rather loud and unfriendly, they weren’t...like he had been.

And they had each other.

Gaara had been expecting the worst. People like him, shunned, hateful, murderous. Maybe a small part of him had hoped to help other Jinchuuriki like Naruto had helped him.

Whatever the case...he had the feeling he had his hands full with these two.

 

-

 

Sakura Haruno was an illogical oddity.

He had expected strangeness when he had been ordered to trail her. Only a strange shinobi would abandon their home for any reason. He had also expected to find her in the arms of Sasuke Uchiha, given her runaway note and what others in the village had to say about her. In fact, Danzo had been counting on this.

What he hadn't expected had been to find the girl halfway into Suna territory with a Jinchuuriki and a newly formed, freshly revolted Plains village.

And he especially hadn't expect her to locate him nearly instantly without so much as a telling glance towards his location.

The capture and interrogation  _ was _ expected, after being caught. The letting him go, illogical. By all accounts it would have been better if they'd killed him. 

So why had she insisted that he be let go?

And for that matter, after everything, why did she risk her life to protect him from the Tsuchikage?

There was something strange about Sakura Haruno alright. Something that Sai just wasn't fitting together. She preached about friendship and trust, but nobody got this far from home with this many allies on just hopes and whims. Sakura had some sort of plan. Some sort of true agenda.

The logical part of Sai's mind knew this.

 

Another part, a part he buried, a part he refused to listen to, wondered if he just might like this Sakura Haruno a little bit.

 

-

 

_ From one Root to another _

_ The target has made contact with the Master of Stones. Target seems to have taken a favorable position under the Master. _

_ She acts as though she has purpose, but this purpose is yet in unknown. She seeks Containers, but perhaps also seeks to elevate her own status in the shinobi world. It is possible ambition motivates her. _

_ It is as though she is a sapling who has branched off from the Tree. I have yet to determine what sort of tree she will become. _

_ No sign of the Heir of Flame. The Sand Container still keeps careful vigilance over the target.  _

 

-

 

_ From one Root to another _

_ If the target grows too tall, trim the tree and let the sand fall to dust. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Well guys, we've officially hit 10k views. I'm honestly just...genuinely touched and appreciative that this fic has gotten so much attention from all of you, and I hope that I continue to meet your expectations.
> 
> With that said, as promised, I am now opening the board up to you readers. I will be taking requests from now up until through the next intermission. These requests can be little details or big plot requests. (The more specific the better.) As I mentioned before, they can range from something as small as Sai learning the harmonica, to as big as Sakura getting a war hammer for a weapon. Whatever the requests, I will pick three of them and integrate them into the fic. You can leave your requests in the comments or you can message me at sakinthra.tumblr.com. (I will not be posting the requests to my blog, and if you wish to remain anonymous that's probably the best way to do it.)  
> I will credit the ideas to the readers once they are officially integrated into the fic, unless they choose to remain anonymous. I also will keep in mind previous suggestions in past chapters, as I know a couple commenters have made suggestions already, but feel free to make the same suggestion if you'd like to remind me!
> 
> We're also very close to 200 bookmarks which is...also a Wow landmark that I kind of want to celebrate. We're about to hit a small time skip, which provides opportunity for a small "omake chapter", as it was. So to celebrate this chapter I will also be taking some requests for this chapter. If you want some fluff or friendship bonding between any characters in particular, feel free to post or send me those as well for consideration. :) 
> 
> This was a long comment section OTL But I want to emphasize again how grateful I am to you readers for your support. I'd die for ya'll. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also iamthepunchlord did some cute art so go check it out!!!  
> http://imthepunchlord.tumblr.com/post/179627401712/this-is-what-gaara-has-to-put-with-in-sakinthras
> 
> Also also, ten points to anyone who can guess which style of martial arts Gaara is learning. Hint, it is based on a real life style. ;) ))


	25. Chapter 25

It was surprisingly easy to fall into a routine.

Sakura woke up early, long before she knew Onoki would be able to get himself out of bed, and she and Gaara went to what the locals called Training Ground Zero. It was a mess of a stadium, something more akin to a crater than an actual arena, and the rough rubble made it difficult to keep one’s footing.

Kurotsuchi told her that a man named Deidara had dropped an experimental bomb there, once, in the years before he went rogue. The explosion had melted away rock and stone, weakening the ground and leaving the crater behind. The official story was that Iwa had found use for it as a training ground and that was why they hadn’t filled it back in yet, but the truth, Kurotsuchi whispered in her ear, was that it would take mining half a mountain to fill it again, and Iwa wasn’t willing to waste resources on that. 

In a weird way, Sakura was grateful that it existed. With the ground so unstable, few people trained there, which meant for most mornings she and Gaara could train together at their leisure.

Shukaku, it seemed, had been teaching Gaara taijutsu. This was something she jotted down into her own notes, as it not only brought up the interesting thought of Tailed Beasts remembering things like taijutsu to begin with, but also suggested that Shukaku was becoming...easier to work with? She wasn’t sure if that was exactly the right way of going about it, but if Shukaku was willingly sharing information with Gaara, willingly teaching him, that meant…

That meant Tailed Beasts weren’t horrible, murderous monsters. They could be reasoned with. Won over. Shown friendship and compassion, and  _ show _ friendship and compassion in turn. Gaara still described Shukaku as a ‘grumpy raccoon’, but that was  _ leagues _ better than a year ago, when Gaara had been mad with Shukaku’s words in his mind. 

(And there was some part of Sakura that wondered if this was some scheme of Shukaku’s, some new way of getting to Gaara, but...maybe she wanted to believe the best, despite thoughts of the worst.)

Sakura’s styles of taijutsu were basic at best, Academy level. She’d never had a taijutsu teacher, and something about Gaara’s forms suggested that they wouldn’t suit her. She wasn’t a bulky, defensive type fighter; if anything, she was finding herself far more offensive, wanting to have the speed to take fights head on. 

Her first sparring session with Gaara had been a disaster. They’d both agreed to no jutsu, save the sand Gaara was now keeping around him for weight training, and Sakura hadn’t been able to so much as hit Gaara without wincing from the pain of hitting armor. And that, of course, was when she was able to hit him at all. The new forms Gaara was practicing favored swatting her pathetic punches away with ease, and while it taught her to be clever when it came to her hits, it meant that her wrists and hands were sore by the end of the session from how many times Gaara had tagged her. 

Sakura had lamented, at first, that she would never catch up to Gaara now, not without using some sort of jutsu.

And then Onoki had stepped in.

He’d watched her for all of a minute before stepping between her and Gaara. He used his small walking cane with surprising dexterity, turning her around and directing her towards a completely different building.

“You’re not going to build yourself up doing  _ that _ , Haruno.”

And then the  _ real _ routine began.

Weight training. Lifting, pressing, sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, all with Onoki’s harsh voice cracking down over her as she worked. Onoki told her what she’d do each day, and she’d do it, until her body felt as though it was going to melt.

“Earth-style jutsu is about strength.” Onoki would lecture. “As is any sort of taijutsu that’s going to break through Sand-Boy’s little routine. You have the brain to read a situation and figure out the best course of action, but your body isn’t ready for it yet. You’ll be lifting weights until you can crack Gaara’s sand with your bare damn knuckles.”

Sakura didn’t believe that was possible, but she was starting to see why others thought Onoki terrifying, and there was no way she was going to back-talk him now.

So began her strength training. Every other day, she’d begin sparring with Gaara, then go straight to training under Onoki until lunch-time. After that came discussion and planning. Onoki, it seemed, had  _ really _ been thinking of everything when it came to his ‘neutrality project’. He had Iwa’s dossiers on every Kage, information on Hidden Villages, their trade routes, their borders, their policies...and plans on how best to approach each of them.

“The Raikage and the Mizukage will be the most difficult to approach, discounting that bastard of a snake down in Oto.” Onoki explained. “The Raikage is notoriously protective of his people, and among the most powerful shinobi I know. As for the Mizukage...no one has heard from him in quite some time. There’s rumors of civil war down in Kiri, and if that’s the case there’s no telling what you’ll find once you cross their borders.” He’d paused at the time, looking somewhat troubled. “...admittedly Iwa might have contributed to some of the chaos. Convincing them to enter any sort of agreement with us will be perhaps the most difficult task you’ll face.”

Sakura had gulped.

“A secondary task would be finding yourself a base of operations.” Onoki continued. “If this project is successful, you wouldn’t be aligned with any village. You’d need a place to call your home, as well as somewhere to call Kages to meeting without anyone fearing attack. A true neutral ground.”

He’d marked several places on her map. The first was the Mountain’s Graveyard, a large strip of land between Taki and Oto that no shinobi had claimed for generations. There were many who believed it cursed, or guarded by spirits that would kill whomever set foot upon it.

A lovely first choice, Sakura had pointed out.

Other areas of note were a small island between Kiri and Kumo, and nearby that the small stretch of land where Uzushiogakure had once stood. There were smaller strips of unclaimed land further inland, but they were typically the sites of border disputes, and the last thing Sakura needed was fighting when she was trying to maintain peace. Better to claim lands no one else had their eye on.

In the evenings, Sakura would return with Gaara to their apartment and they would meditate, attempting to increase their chakra stores as well as hone Sakura’s sensing jutsu. 

In the odd days between Sakura’s strength training, she was allowed to rest. Onoki stressed the importance of allowing her body a break, as too much strength training would damage rather than toughen her up. But, of course, Sakura wasn’t allowed a true rest. Her odd days were spent studying.

And this began with Onoki walking her through a mineral museum.

Onoki would stop at each exhibit, describing both the various layers of rock and ground that could be found beneath them, as well as the stones and mineral that could be mined from within. He listed every component and what percentage of the earth it made up, where each ratio was most likely to be found, and the physical properties of each. Memorize them, he told Sakura.

And  _ that _ , she could do.

Sakura had always been booksmart, and she’d grinned from ear to ear when she realized that the little museum had educational books. Though she didn’t have much pocket money, she’d bought herself a copy, making sure to study it every night before she went to bed. These lessons, she quickly began to understand. The more she knew about the properties of the earth beneath her, the better equipped she would be to manipulate it. If the ground was soft, she’d need to spend more effort hardening it for her jutsu to be effective. If the ground was hard, it would be more difficult to move. It required perfect control to manipulate all types of earth equally, and Sakura could  _ do _ control.

Sai was with them, always. He wasn’t allowed to go elsewhere without armed guard, and Sai seemed content enough just...sticking around. Whenever Sakura caught glimpses of the boy, he was always sketching or writing down something. Taking notes for Konoha no doubt. But he had seemed different since they’d arrived in Iwa, more openly inquisitive. He would ask why Sakura spoke a certain way, why she’d smiled a certain way, why Gaara was always so livid around him. (The latter, Sakura still wasn’t fully sure, but she was starting to suspect there was more to Gaara’s dislike than mere suspicion.)

She was allowed one weekend day to herself, which she spent getting to know the town of Iwa. The villagers were leery of her at first, but since she was so often seen with the Tsuchikage, it didn’t take long for them to warm up.

Sakura made a surprising friend in Kurotsuchi, whom had certainly been sent to keep an eye on her, but Sakura wasn’t going to complain. The woman was a treat to be around. She would show Sakura and the boys a new place to eat every evening, introducing her to the patrons and letting Sakura’s name spread around. On her weekends, Kurotsuchi would show her village monuments and talk history. 

“I think it would be better to hear about our village through the eyes of an Iwa shinobi, and not your old Konoha dossiers.” Kurotsuchi had explained. “And really, you should try to learn about each village this way. Learn what their enemies have to say, and then learn what they think about themselves. Much like you would an enemy shinobi.”

There had been two Tsuchikage before Onoki. The First had been Onoki’s grandfather, supposedly able to discern the strength and value of any stone simply by looking at it, and had been a prodigy in Earth-style jutsu. There was little historical record on him, simply because there was little of the man’s time in general.

Far more was there on the second Tsuchikage, who interested Sakura far more anyway. The man had been a true shadow, able to wield all five elements, revered as a Non-Person who could completely hide his own chakra signature, and, most interestingly, known for having such a keen sensory jutsu that he could avoid attacks that most shinobi couldn’t see coming. 

(Sakura had looked at her own scroll that night, after learning of the Second, and wondered briefly if her scroll was of Konoha origin after all.)

An easy routine. A simple routine. And Sakura wasn’t just getting tougher, she was getting  _ smarter _ .

And, more importantly...she felt as though she was learning something else. Something she hadn’t necessarily been good at before: getting closer to others. To the villagers. To the Iwa shinobi. To the Tsuchikage. To Sai.

To Gaara.

In the cold mountains of Iwagakure, maybe she was getting…

Strong?

 

-

 

For the first time in his life, Gaara was truly and consistently happy.

He could live here forever in Iwa, training with Sakura, learning about the village, and spending his nights in the company of Han. (And occasionally Roshi.) Even if it hadn’t been where he’d grown up, even if he hadn’t been here long...this place was more of a home than Suna had ever been. Akatsuki meant nothing. The looming danger of it all...nothing.

Here, he was happy.

Though the nights were cold, they were never long enough. Gaara would perch on the roof of their apartment and wait, and Han would eventually appear in a flurry of snow and earth. The man liked talking, and Gaara liked listening. When he’d told Sakura of the appearance of the two Jinchuuriki, she’d been happy for him.

“Make friends with them, Gaara. Learn as much as you can. They’re like you, after all.”

Gaara had originally thought Sakura would  _ want  _ to take point regarding Han and Roshi, but she seemed more than content to let him build the relationship, and for that he was grateful. It worked out, in the end. Han and Roshi were a careful lot, with Roshi being distrustworthy of pretty much anyone besides Han, and Han only really speaking with Gaara because they had a kinship in their positions, which Roshi could grudgingly accept. Gaara had never seen two men as close as they.

“We needed each other.” Han explained. “The village has no love for us, so we had to have love for each other.” He gave his trademark smile, barely visible behind his thick armor. “Roshi wouldn’t have it, at first. He was slightly older than myself. He’d dealt with things longer. At the time, he told me, ‘there was no such thing as camaraderie, so we had to look out for ourselves’.” 

Gaara was more than intimately familiar with such a mindset. “How did you change his mind?”

“I didn’t give up.” Han said simply. “And I proved him wrong by looking out for him.”

It was so simple it was almost laughable...but Gaara understood.

Sakura...she’d been there. She had just been there. And that had been enough. 

Occasionally, Han would take him to a small cave on the outskirts of the village. There was a quiet pool near the back of the cave, kept clear with a small trickle of running water that came down from the mountain top. The trickle echoed through the cave rhythmically, and Gaara couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace when he was by the pool. Near there was where the two Jinchuuriki made their home, and the cave itself was somewhere that the two used for meditating.

“Mostly me.” Han admitted with a shrug. “Roshi isn’t really the type to sit down for more than five minutes. But you wondered how I communicated so much with Kokuo, and this is how. I sit here when I need the quiet, and I can speak with him.”

“I’ve spoken with Shukaku all my life, but...only recently have I ever seen him.” Gaara replied. “I think he’s the one that tends to drag me in.”

“Means the boy’s seal is shit.” Roshi commented brusquely. “Shouldn’t be able to communicate with your Beast so easily unless you will it. I told you the boy was a damn problem, Hoshi, Ichibi’s going to break out in the middle of the goddamn night and kill us all.”

“Not so long as I don’t fall asleep.”

“Oh that’s  _ extremely _ reassuring.” 

With that, Han had prodded until Gaara sat down and showed Han the location of his seal. Both Jinchuuriki examined him, and he heard several hums of discontent. Gaara had known his seal was shoddy for a while, but the extent of it seemed to consistently surprise others.

“There’s only one thing you can do unless you can find a sealmaster.” Han concluded. “And that’s make sure Shukaku doesn’t ever have a reason to violently break free.”

“And what can I do to ensure that?”

“Make friends with him.”

Gaara could not consider Shukaku a friend. He could barely consider the Beast a teacher. Years of hearing his whispers, of killing for him, of being driven further and further into darkness...how could Gaara  _ trust _ Shukaku, let alone befriend him? And for that matter, how could he convince the Beast that friendship was worth investing in.

“You don’t give up.” Han reminded him.

And thus, Gaara’s own project began. 

It was a difficult project, given that Shukaku knew about it. At first, Shukaku insisted on keeping their relationship ‘business professional’. Gaara was there to learn, Shukaku was there to make sure he didn’t die young.

But Gaara didn’t give up. For several hours, every night, he sat in the small cave and meditated. And every night, once he found himself within Shukaku’s massive chamber, he badgered the Beast with questions.

“How long have you been alive? Do you have parents? Can you use any of the five elemental chakra? Where did you live, before Suna?”

Shukaku was tight-lipped, at first ignoring Gaara before eventually outwardly berating him for being an annoyance. Gaara only managed to get one question answered in his time.

“Has there ever been a human that you’ve liked?”

**“One.”** Shukaku answered.  **“Though calling him human is a bit of a stretch. Hagoromo was infinitely more interesting than any of the rest of you ants scurrying around.”**

The name Hagoromo wasn’t familiar to Gaara, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t dedicate some of his hours to researching it. And perhaps, if he looked for long enough, Shukaku might be kind enough to chip in.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to look long, for it was Han that actually knew of the name.

“The Sage of Six Paths.” Han explained. “Kokuo speaks fondly of him, but little more than that. And from Roshi’s brief conversations with Son Goku, we can assume all of the Tailed Beasts were familiar with Hagoromo. Of course, getting Roshi and Son Goku to communicate at  _ all _ is difficult…”

Gaara didn’t doubt that. 

The Sage of Six Paths. Gaara knew enough about history to know that this Hagoromo was the ancestor of all shinobi, the supposed origin of chakra, and someone whose power had never been replicated in the generations that came after him. That the Beasts were familiar with him indicated that the Beasts were ancient. Gaara couldn’t imagine living for such a long time, seeing all of history slowly go by. And in a way...he could understand why Shukaku might be cynical. After a brutal warring era, followed by three ‘shinobi world wars’...humanity had to seem pretty violent. 

“Not just that, but we must seem like children in comparison.” Sakura had pointed out when Gaara had told her about the Sage. “I mean, from all I remember reading anyway, the Sage had access to the Rinnegan eyes, which can supposedly create or destroy on a whim. Not even the Sharingan is that impressive. And nobody’s wielded the Rinnegan since.”

No one in all of history? It seemed strange. Unlikely that history wouldn’t repeat itself. But clearly there were things Gaara was missing, and Shukaku’s lips were sealed.

So while Gaara was not going to relent in his goal of getting on Shukaku’s good side, he spent more of his time befriending the Jinchuuriki. And in similar manner, Gaara decided that he was going to specifically befriend Roshi.

Han, thankfully, was all too eager to help.

“Bring him breakfast.” He suggested. “Bacon, eggs, pancakes, the works. He’s never upset when he has breakfast.”

(It was true, Gaara found out. It got Roshi to stay in his presence long enough to see the man’s face go from ‘angry’ to ‘neutral’.)

Each day was another challenge in this new life of making friendships. Each day was another training session, with Sakura or Shukaku, getting stronger. Each day…

Gaara was happy.

 

-

 

“No, Gaara, not like that. Put your knuckles closer to the ground, and then flick. It’ll make the marble go further.”

Sai watched as Sakura Haruno and the Ichibi crouched on a flat plot of ground. A crude circle had been drawn in the dirt, and a collection of brilliantly colored marbles had been set up in the center. Sakura and Gaara each started with a single marble. The goal, Sai had deduced, was to knock as many marbles out of the circle with the starting marble as possible.

A child’s game. He had seen it once or twice patrolling Konoha, but had never had interest until now. Why did the two waste time on such frivolous games when they could be occupying themselves with something more productive?

But he couldn’t deny that the smile on Sakura’s face was genuine as she explained the rules, and he couldn’t deny that, for a brief moment, he’d seen a hint of a smile on Gaara’s face as they played. So strange, Sai thought. Such legitimate smiles. 

He’d been placed on ‘probation’, allowed to wander unchained in Iwa so long as he was near either Sakura or an Iwa shinobi. It suited him fine. He was supposed to keep watch over Sakura anyway, and if she was going to waste hours on a child’s game, that made it easier for him. It also gave him time to draw.

Free drawing was something he rarely had the time for. Art was his jutsu, art made him valuable to Root, but it was never meant to be for himself. Yet, there was no  _ real _ reason for him to spend time sketching Sakura and Gaara, other than for himself. Root already knew what the two looked like, and drawings of them playing games would be considered laughable.

But Sai was drawn to the picture, drawn to sketching it over and over again until he could invoke whatever feeling watching the two brought him. And there  _ was _ a feeling, something he’d buried but was threatening to burst out of his seams unless he could just…

He watched as Sakura gently took hold of Gaara’s hand, showing him the best way to flick. They were from separate villages, by all accounts polar opposites, and yet they moved around each other like they had known each other all their lives. 

And all at once, he remembered.

He remembered how his book was supposed to end. 

Time seemed to slow down as he pulled his book out, flipping to the middle page. He remembered. Two hands touching. Two brothers. Two people, having known each other all their lives, fighting, getting stronger, and then…

(Pain, and he pushed that down on instinct, couldn’t think about it, couldn’t dwell on it)

Their hands, together, as they met after their many trials and tribulations. Sai sketched furiously, not wanting to forget the image now that he had it. He didn’t even realize that Sakura and Gaara had caught sight of him, and had come over for a closer look. He just had to finish it. For him.

For  _ him _ .

“I like it.” Sakura said, jolting him out of his thoughts. “They meet together at the end and become friends.”

Sai looked down at his picture again, and  _ felt _ ...something that could only be described as bittersweet.

“It’s just a fairy tale.” Sai said simply. “Friendship only happens in fairy tales, Fisticuffs. It’s a silly book.”

“I don’t think so.” 

She held out a hand to him, with a single marble in it.

“You could play too, you know.” 

 

He didn’t. He couldn’t. He wasn’t supposed to feel. Wasn’t supposed to remember.

 

(But _fuck_ _it all_ , he wanted to anyway.)

 

-

 

“Sakura?”

There was another knock on the door, and Sakura yawned as she opened it. It was a rest day, thankfully, but that didn’t mean her training hadn’t left her sore. “What is it?” She asked, surprised to see Kurotsuchi there so early.

“Get dressed. There’s something you’ll want to see.”

Several minutes later, Sakura had pulled on her clothes, tied her hair back, and woken Sai for their surprise morning trip. It was a cold morning, the near dead of winter now, and the sun had barely begun to rise over the nearby mountain peaks.

“Patrol caught someone rushing to the village borders this morning.” Kurotsuchi explained as they walked. “An enemy shinobi...and a nasty strong one at that. It took a dozen shinobi to get him tied up, and we’re still not sure we have him fully contained. But what we do know is that ever since he woke up, he’s been asking to speak with you.”

“Me?” Sakura blinked in confusion. “Why me?”

“Maybe it’s better if you see who it is. You might know more than we do.”

Kurotsuchi led her down, down below the ground level of the village, to what Sakura deduced had to be prisons and interrogation rooms. The Tsuchikage was waiting for them, along with several other menacing shinobi who parted for her as she walked by. 

“Don’t let sentiment get the better of you, Haruno. Figure out why he’s here for us and we won’t have to get dirty.” Onoki told her. “We’re trying to start alliances here, not wars, and if Konoha is going to make things difficult we need to know.”

Wait...Konoha?

Sakura didn’t wait for another second. With Gaara trailing behind her, she made her way into the prison room. 

A man sat in front of her, tied down to a chair. A Konoha headband was pulled down over one eye, and a shock of silver hair flopped down over the man’s head. His single, uncovered eye looked up at her with a mixture of both shock and relief.

“Sakura.”

Sakura took a minute to take in the image of her old sensei, tied up in front of her, exhausted but... _ here _ . Why was he  _ here _ ? Had he  _ followed _ her all this way, all this time?

She folded her arms, but she couldn’t help but give him a small smile.

“Hello, Kakashi sensei.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Whaaaaaat early update? Maybe I'm going crazy. Or maybe it's Nanowrimo season and I'm on a damn roll. Either way, you'll be getting another update by the weekend at some point so enjoy the benefits of my writing frenzy.))


	26. Alliances (Intermission Part Five)

The alarm blasted into Naruto's ears, and with a manic flinch he slammed his fist against the off switch. Six hours, supposedly, since he'd crashed here last night, but he felt as though it might as well have been two. His brain was still muddled, but his body, ever fueled by the damn fox, felt energetic and ready to go.

Which was good, because he knew what would happen to him if he was  _ late _ .

He went straight to the shower to start, not even bothering to dry his hair after as he then went to his kitchen. Taped onto his fridge was a weekly schedule, and next to it a list of simple recipes. Today, he would heat up toast, eggs, and a fruit of his choice, along with carefully jarred jam, courtesy of the Akimichi clan. 

Naruto would have just enough time to finish the last of his toast when a knock sounded on the door. Hastily, toast still halfway in his mouth, Naruto ran to his front door. First came on the boots, then his jacket, and finally his shinobi equipment; thirty seconds from the knock until Naruto opened the door.

Ino Yamanaka stood at the door, foot tapping impatiently as she stared at a wrist watch. “You could set your alarm five minutes earlier, you know.”

“But I need every damn minute, Ino, you’ve seen how hard Pervy Sage's been working me.” Naruto whined, locking his door behind him. “He's determined to kill me after I gave him the slip last month.”

Ino gently knocked a fist against the side of Naruto's head. “Then maybe don’t be so reckless next time, idiot.”

Naruto laughed. They both knew reckless was Naruto's middle name.

With that, the two were off.

It was still dark, and the cold of winter had already begun to set in. Small flakes of snow had settled on the Konoha rooftops, but Naruto and Ino left no trace of footsteps as they flew through the night.

“Which one do you want to take today?”

“Well, I took Chouji yesterday, so this time you get him!” Naruto offered. Chouji was the easier of the two. All Ino would have to do to wake him up was wag some bacon in his general direction.

Shikamaru, however…

The Nara was a nightmare.

Ino seemed grateful for the reprieve, and as they approached the clan compounds, the two split off. The Nara compounds were peaceful, surrounded by woodland and generally quiet. Naruto had learned that Shikamaru wasn't the only one of his family with a lazy streak; it seemed more a clan trait. 

With a small ‘thud’, Naruto landed on the roof of Shikamaru's house. If he could catch Shikamaru off guard, it would be easier...but the bastard would do anything for an extra hour of snoozing. Ino had claimed last time that Shikamaru had even gone so far as to set up traps.

For a lazy bastard, he sure was dedicated.

Jiraiya had taught Naruto how to begin masking his chakra. It was a difficult feat for Naruto, as he had far more chakra than the average shinobi, so Naruto considered this a challenge in the works. He concentrated, pulling his energy inward, and sending a quick thought to the fox to keep his shit together.

He could have sworn he heard the fox grumble at that.

Quietly, Naruto reached for the latch on Shikamaru's window. Locked, but Ino had shown him basic lockpicking weeks ago. Any shinobi needed to know how to break into a home, she'd lectured, especially a team that specialized in infiltration. Naruto grabbed a couple of small tools from his pouch and popped the window open in less than a minute. Step one down.

He saw a bundle in the bed inside, wrapped up so tightly that he could barely tell it was Shikamaru. Naruto frowned. He'd been around this block before. Without bothering to be quiet now, he walked over to the bed and threw the covers off.

A wooden decoy.

That son of a bitch.

Now it became a game of tracking. Naruto only wished he had access to Kakashi's shinobi puppies, but what he  _ did  _ have was numbers. With a quick hand sign, he summoned a dozen clones.

“Scatter through the compound until we find him!”

There was a chorus of agreement, and then all twelve Narutos jumped through the window and into the night.

The final, original Naruto quickly hid inside Shikamaru's closet.

The past several times, Shikamaru had hidden himself in other buildings, once even in his own parents’ room. If he had gone for a new hiding spot, he'd be found.

But Shikamaru was a smart guy, and something told Naruto that maybe this time, if he just waited…

There was movement underneath Shikamaru's bed, and after a moment Shikamaru himself crawled out with a yawn. He looked around before sleepily pulling himself into bed.

Naruto grinned.

“I CAUGHT YOU, LAZY ASS!”

Shikamaru flinched, flailing to get out of bed but failing as Naruto pounced on top of him. There was a brief struggle, a few punches and kicks thrown, before Shikamaru was promptly tossed into his closet by a triumphant Naruto.

“Get dressed and get ready for missions! Are you a chuunin or not?”

“I didn’t ask for that troublesome promotion.” He heard Shikamaru answer. “It was dumped on me. You can have it.”

“Nu-uh. No getting out of this one,  _ Team Leader _ .”

Shikamaru grumbled, but when he came of the closet he was dressed and ready to go.

Ino had been equally successful. When they met at the front of Shikamaru's house, it was with Chouji in tow, munching on a similar piece of toast to the one Naruto had made that morning.

“Lucky you, getting Ino.” Shikamaru grumped as they walked to the Hokage's office. “She won’t give you a black eye first thing in the morning.”

“Maybe if you didn't try to run away!” Naruto protested.

“If you brought me toast instead of violence, maybe I wouldn't run away.”

“Lazy ass.”

“Idiot.”

Chouji laughed. “You know, mornings have been way more interesting since Naruto joined up.”

  
  
  


Naruto’s Super Fantastic Schedule for Becoming Hokage started with missions.

Unlike under Team 7, Shikamaru's squad focused on reconnaissance and capture missions, which Jiraiya claimed to be his specialty. Naruto had to focus on concealing himself, blending in, and learning how best to speak with others without giving evidence that he was really spying. His Henge jutsu proved invaluable; nobody, it seemed, could make a disguise better than Naruto could.

Naruto's job was to find the target. Chouji's job was to position the target. Shikamaru went for the capture, and Ino went for the interrogation. It worked...surprisingly well. It had taken Naruto several weeks to get anywhere remotely good enough at information gathering, but now he was certain he was the best damn spy in Konoha!

(Jiraiya insisted he had a long way to go, but Naruto knew better.)

Lunch with the team ended most missions, and then Naruto trudged up to Tsunade's office for Studying.

The woman was ruthless. Every day she sat him down with stacks of books about Konoha history, Konoha laws, governance, clans, trials...everything, she claimed, a Hokage would have to know in order to successfully run a village. She would quiz him relentlessly as he read, and every time he got a question wrong, she made him run a message across the village for her.

Naruto started out getting a lot of questions wrong.

But slowly he was finding that  _ some _ of it was beginning to sink. Even if he didn't know the exact details behind how the Aburame and the Nara had decided on clan borders, he was starting to remember the big picture. The laws began to look familiar. And the paperwork, the never ending paperwork that Tsunade seemed constantly drowning in, started to look less and less intimidating.

“This one is from a family applying for citizenship.” Tsunade told him that afternoon. “So I have a job for you. You need to go and confirm that they've been living here as long as they've claimed, and make sure they aren't troublemakers.”

Naruto loved it when Tsunade sent him on errands like this.

For one, it wasn't bookwork. But for two...well, at first he'd hated these missions. The locals refused to talk to him as always, and it had taken a bunch of pleading and claiming it was work for the Hokage until most people bothered to talk to him at all. But now, after weeks of running similar errands...things had changed. Some people smiled at him when they saw him rushing by. Some people even waved or greeted him. And most importantly, he didn’t see people scowling anymore or muttering as he passed them.

Maybe Tsunade was a hardass when it came to studying, but sending him out here on these errands…

It made him feel like a part of something.

And perhaps that's why she continued to send him off, since Naruto always came back to her office with a big grin, ready to try and hit the books once again.

Dinnertime came quickly, and from there Jiraiya would take him out to one of the training grounds and work him to the bone.

Elemental manipulation was difficult for even jounin to master. Naruto was still barely a genin, and Jiraiya had talked him with taking the Rasengan, an S-ranked jutsu that he still needed a clone to help perform, and adding his wind element to it.

It had been weeks with no progress.

Evenings were the most frustrating part of the day. By then he was already tired from missions and running about, and he didn’t want to waste energy on a jutsu that he wasn't even sure was possible.

But, as Jiraiya pointed out, it would be  _ really really  _ cool if he could figure it out.

(And that was all the motivation Naruto needed.)

Fire took strength from wind, wind negated lightning, lightning disabled earth, earth overtook water, and water quenched fire. Jiraiya pounded this concept into his head. Against Sasuke's chidori, Naruto would succeed using his wind element.

(But all Naruto could consider is that he could be the wind to fan Sasuke's flames and lead him to success.)

Naruto wondered, briefly, what elements Sakura might have. He'd have to ask her when Kakashi brought her back.

It had been months since Sakura had gone. Months. But Kakashi was going to bring her back soon…

Wasn't he?

 

-

 

For the first time since Sasuke had arrived in the Land of Sound, he was alone.

Orochimaru had a mission that required his extended absence, and Kabuto, of course, would be ever present at his side. Sasuke had secretly wanted to join them, if only to keep an eye on the snakes, but there was a certain relief in having the place to himself.

No more asinine genin missions. Just himself and his training.

(He should have known it was too good to last.)

As he meditated, he heard a knock on the door. Sasuke frowned, his chakra flaring up with anger at being disturbed. As the door swung open, his eyes flashed, Sharingan at the ready.

A shock of red hair and a slim figure...Karin.

Sasuke sighed and deactivated his Sharingan. He'd met Karin weeks ago, one of Orochimaru's lackeys that managed a different lair within Oto's borders. When he'd seen her last, she'd been smitten over him, trying to snuggle up close when Orochimaru wasn’t looking.

Sasuke had never liked fangirls.

But Karin had a different look in her eyes as she approached him. She didn’t seem smitten at all, only determined. She sat, cross legged in front of him.

“I’d been hoping to get a chance to talk to you alone. Too bad Orochimaru hovers around you like a vulture.”

“I'm not interested in flirting, Karin.” Sasuke growled. “Leave me be.”

“Oh, I'm not either.” Karin answered with a wave of her hand. “But when everyone thinks you're a lovesick puppy trailing in Orochimaru's footsteps, they're way less likely to suspect you of anything.”

Sasuke blinked.

Alright, now things had gotten interesting.

“So what do you want?”

“I'm trying to gauge where you stand.” Karib admitted. “If you're one of Orochimaru's perfect little angels or if you're here because you have to be. It's always one or the other, and from what I've heard, I kind of get the feeling it's the latter. You've got a brother that needs killing and Orochimaru is the only one who can train you to do it, am I right?”

Sasuke didn't answer, but that only brought a grin to Karin's face. Silence spoke as loud as words, it seemed.

“Oh goodie. I was hoping that was the case. Do you remember the chuunin exams, Sasuke? You rescued me after my team had died. When I heard you'd come to Orochimaru, I knew it couldn't have been because you were like him. You're far too nice.”

Sasuke scoffed. “You don’t know me very well, then.”

“I'm not saying you're not strong. But you're not a psychopath. You don’t get your kicks off of experimenting for him, and you sure as hell don’t worship him. Which means, as soon as you've learned everything you can from the old snake…” Karin's eyes gleamed. “Yours and my interests will align.”

“And what interests are those?”

“Putting the snake in the ground.”

So she wanted to kill Orochimaru...that didn’t surprise him. It seemed like half the people in Oto wouldn't have minded seeing Orochimaru dead.

“I can get strong enough to kill him on my own.” Sasuke argued. “Why should I trust anyone else?”

“Because you're not thinking big picture.” Karin replied. “Orochimaru is just a stepping stone to your brother. But once Orochimaru is dead, how are you going to  _ find _ your brother?”

Sasuke frowned. It was true...on that front, he had absolutely no idea.

“Now, if you helped me kill Orochimaru, and helped set me up at leader of Otogakure...I could arrange search teams to find your brother. Any resource you need, I'd give it. I look after my friends, Sasuke Uchiha, and I wouldn't forget the man who helped me come into power. You need your brother? I'll deliver. A home when your revenge is complete? I'll always have a spot for my friends. At the end of the day, helping me means nothing extra for you and  _ all _ of the extra benefits.”

Tempting. Sasuke thought on this. He didn’t trust Karin, not completely, but he did trust that she wanted Orochimaru dead.

Really...he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“I suppose I could cooperate, as long as you kept your word.”

“Excellent.” Karin pushed herself to her feet. “Then it is decided. I, Karin Uzumaki, will be the next Otokage! And once I am in charge, I will bring Itachi Uchiha to you. We have a deal?”

She held out a hand, and Sasuke reached up to take it. For a brief moment, his thoughts wandered. Uzumaki? He'd never heard of anyone but  _ Naruto _ with that last name, and maybe it was the way she was posturing about becoming a Kage, but something about her suddenly seemed…

Familiar.

He chuckled. Uzumaki were all the same, it seemed. Annoying, loud, and stupidly ambitious.

And now there were  _ two _ of them

“Deal.” He confirmed. “So where do we begin?”

“You have two years, Uchiha. Milk as much knowledge out of the old snake as you can. When the time comes, we'll have a plan at the ready.” Karin started for the door, but hesitated. Then, suddenly, she began to mess up her hair, and unbutton several of the buttons on her jacket. “It'll be less suspicious if everyone thinks we're sleeping together.” She explained. “Though...if you ever  _ really _ want a good night…”

She gave Sasuke a wink and a kiss as she headed for the door. As she closed it behind her, Sasuke shuddered.

Women were absolutely terrifying sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I was gonna wait to post this but...I'm productive and it's done, so enjoy.
> 
> Thanks to all who've commented their requests so far for the 10k views benchmark. I've been keeping a list, and there will definitely be some interesting things to come. ;) We're also getting very close to 1k Kudos, so keep in mind which characters you might want to request for future intermissions!))


	27. Chapter 27

It was surreal to see her sensei in such a vulnerable position in front of her. All of Sakura’s memories of Kakashi had been of him standing strong against powerful opponents, Sharingan eye seeing through everything. A dozen shinobi had been needed to take him down, that much was enough to bring her some relief, but that Kakashi could be taken down at all was...jarring.

Never in her wildest imagination could she have pictured a scenario where Kakashi had been taken down, let alone with her on the other side, safely among her sensei’s enemies. But they weren’t  _ supposed _ to be enemies anymore, which was the real problem. Onoki wanted peace and cooperation between villages, and damn it all if Kakashi invading here wasn’t just going to ruin all of that. She’d just started to get the Iwa villagers to trust her, just started to work on a plan for approaching Konoha and the other villages…

“Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura decided to ask.

“I’m here for you, my precious student.” Kakashi answered instantly. “Here I’d thought you’d left Konoha on some desperate quest to find information that would help Naruto and Sasuke, and instead I find you’ve stolen the Suna Jinchuuriki and defected to Iwagakure.”

Sakura winced. “T-that isn’t-”

“She didn’t steal me.” Gaara stepped in, answering in an angry tone. “I chose to follow her.”

“Not how Suna sees it.” Kakashi countered. “If not for the fact that they’re trying to keep it a secret that you’re no longer there, they would have sent a war party after you. As it stands, after the chuunin exams, they can’t afford to spare the shinobi. They have to play it safe. Rebuild. Of course, it would have been easier if their northern citizens hadn’t suddenly decided to rebel and make a new Plains village…”

Sakura winced again. “Alright, but in my defense, they’d defected before we got there. We just helped take out the guy who wanted to turn little kids into soldiers.”

“Villages have been using children since their  _ founding _ , Sakura. You've been meddling in foreign affairs without thinking of the consequences.”

“Says the man tied up in an Iwa cell.”

Sakura crossed her arms, and both she and Kakashi maintained eye contact for what seemed like an impossibly long time. Had he really just come here to lecture her? She was doing  _ way _ better than he was right now, and he hadn't even  _ heard _ about the neutrality pact she and Onoki had been-

“I'm glad you're okay, Sakura.”

Kakashi's gaze suddenly softened, a look Sakura had seen on him only rarely. The jounin looked a lot smaller that way...small, vulnerable, worried…

Sakura's heart sank into her chest. She hadn’t realized, hadn't even thought…

She'd convinced herself Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones on the team that Kakashi really thought about.

“I’m glad you didn’t get killed on the way in, Kakashi-sensei.”

She looked around before pulling up a chair, sitting down in front of him. Gaara was ever close, standing right by her side. He seemed wary of Kakashi, and that was probably fair. Even Sakura didn’t know how this scenario was going to play out.

“If they wanted you dead, they would have killed you already.” Sakura started to reason out. “Iwa’s...in the process of working out some propositions that will hopefully lead to some peace between Iwa and Konoha...and everywhere else, if things go like we’re planning.”

“That’s what they told you?”

“That’s what they  _ mean _ .” Sakura insisted. “I know you told us to look underneath the underneath, Sensei, but I’ve done it a million times and I can’t see how Iwa would benefit from this anymore than  _ every other village _ would. The Tsuchikage is tired of war, and with the threat Akatsuki poses, wouldn’t it be a good thing if we didn’t have other squabbles to distract us?”

“It sounds very convincing, Sakura, I’m sure, but you don’t know these shinobi like I do.” Kakashi argued. “The Tsuchikage is a terrifying strategist. He sees a lone little shinobi from Konoha heading this way, and maybe he thinks if he can say the right words, he can get some sort of leg up on Konoha. Information, or maybe something more.”

“Well, it’s not like I’d have anything to give him!” Sakura snapped. “Everything I know about the village I had to investigate on my own! The only reason I even know a  _ thing _ about Naruto is because I was his teammate! And oh, did you know about  _ Root _ , Kakashi-sensei? Did you know that Konoha is  _ brainwashing children to be perfect, emotionless soldiers? _ ”

Kakashi fell silent at that. So he did know. Sakura could see it on his face. And if Kakashi knew, how many other shinobi knew?

How many other shinobi knew and did  _ nothing _ ?

“Maybe the Tsuchikage is using me.” She continued with a small shrug. “But at least he’s  _ teaching _ me. I’ve learned more about earth-style jutsu in the past couple weeks than anything  _ you _ or the  _ Academy _ ever taught me. Hell, I learned more about my own capabilities wandering around in the fucking  _ plains _ than back at Konoha. You would have had me sit on my ass waiting for  _ Naruto _ to get stronger.”

“I didn’t think you were  _ ready _ !” Kakashi protested. “Sakura, you’ve always been…”

“What, emotional? Fragile?  _ Weak _ ?” Sakura was fuming now, and she couldn’t help but stand, fist clenched. “Maybe I wouldn’t have been weak if you hadn’t only had eyes for the  _ boys _ . You taught Sasuke the Chidori. Naruto had Jiraiya. I didn’t have  _ anyone _ .”

And with that, Kakashi was quiet. He let his head hang, and for a moment Sakura felt...pity.

“You’re right.” He answered. “I should have been there for you too. That’s why I’m here  _ now _ , Sakura. I’m here to take you home. And...I’ll speak with Tsunade. The two of us will still be Team Seven. We’ll do missions together, and I’ll...I’ll teach you everything you want to know.”

Sakura felt Gaara tense next to her, and his hand reached out to touch her own. He was worried. Worried Sakura would be tempted by the offer in front of her. Worried she’d leave him.

And Sakura couldn’t  _ help _ but be tempted. Wasn’t that what she had wanted all along? For Kakashi to notice her? To be able to stand side by side with the boys, equally strong, teammates? Kakashi was promising to  _ teach _ her. She could go back to Konoha. 

...and she would leave  _ everything else _ behind.

Sakura realized, then and there, with a strange sort of finality, that she wasn’t quite sure Konoha was where she was supposed to be.

She reached out to give Gaara’s hand a reassuring squeeze before sitting down again, calmer now. “I think I might have wanted that once.” She admitted. “But I’ve learned a lot since I’ve left the village, and...well, you can say I’ve made some friends I didn’t expect. Even if I  _ did _ want to go back to Konoha, I can’t abandon Gaara, and if Konoha took him in, that might lead to all out war with Suna over it.”

“He  _ needs _ to go home, Sakura. The balance of the villages has been upset without him there. Every major shinobi village has Jinchuuriki and now Suna has none, and they  _ know _ you’re the one who ran away with him. It’s possible they might turn on Konoha again out of spite.” Kakashi explained. “And think of what the other villages will think of us. Not one, but  _ two _ rogue shinobi so quickly after each other? They’ll think Konoha is falling apart. You leaving us hasn’t just affected me, it’s affected  _ everyone _ . And we’re still recovering from the last war that got sent our way.” Kakashi took a deep breath. “We need shinobi. We need you. And while I’d rather come with you willingly, if I have to take you back by force, I  _ will _ .” 

Sakura flinched. Kakashi was so determined, almost terrifyingly so, and Sakura knew that if Kakashi were set free, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from taking her back. She wasn’t strong enough. She didn’t want to  _ be _ strong enough. This was her  _ sensei _ , and she should have been happy to see him again, but now she was just…

Sour.

“If you're just here to take me back, Kakashi-sensei, you can forget about it and go home.” Sakura finally answered. “Konoha didn’t give a fuck about me until I left. But the Tsuchikage...he thinks I can be strong. And not only that, he thinks I can help bring peace to the shinobi villages. And if I can make the world a better place, shouldn’t I?” Sakura stood up again, taking a sharp breath. She wouldn’t get mad, she told herself, not now, not  _ now _ . “If I can make a world where Jinchuuriki can be accepted, where they don’t have to worry about being hunted down by S-class shinobi, shouldn’t I? If I can make a world where...where shinobi don’t get driven so mad that they  _ kill their entire clan _ , shouldn’t I? If I can make a world where Naruto and Sasuke can be safe and happy, then I’m  _ going _ to. And if Konoha isn’t going to help me reach that goal...then I’m not going to be a part of Konoha anymore. Not Konoha, not Iwa, not any village. I'm just gonna be me, and I'm going to do whatever I can for the people I care about.” 

She was still too emotional, so Sakura turned, not wanting to look Kakashi in the eye any longer.

“A wise shinobi once told me that those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than that.”

“Sakura…”

Sakura headed for the door without another word, Gaara close behind her. She was greeted by Onoki and the others outside, all of whom looked grave.

“He's just here to take me back.” Sakura insisted. “He wasn’t here for anything else. He might have thought you were holding me prisoner or something, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to sneak in.”

“That’s all well and good, but we can’t just let him go. The village will think us weak.” Kurotsuchi explained. “We have to keep him prisoner until we can discuss this with Konoha's Hokage. She can't just send shinobi into our borders right now without risking war.”

“I know.” Sakura nodded. “Let me...let me think of something. I just need time to think.”

She needed time to  _ breathe _ . Thankfully, nobody stopped her as she made her way out of the building and into the crisp air. Gaara merely followed, not more than a couple steps behind, and after a moment she heard Sai's soft steps as well.

She was...angry. And she hadn't expected to be so angry upon seeing her old sensei again, but Sakura had never been terribly good at hiding her emotions and it seemed as though, after all this time, that hadn't changed. Even as she stomped her way back to their apartment, she fumed and muttered and cursed. 

“I should be happy!” She said aloud, pacing back and forth in their living room. “Kakashi comes all this way just to bring me back to Konoha, further than anyone ever went for Sasuke. But if he'd just talked to me _before_ I'd left, maybe I wouldn't have needed to leave at all. Nobody gave a damn about me until I left my stupid village!” 

“You're right.” Sai commented from his spot on a couch. “Nobody thought a genin fresh out of the academy worth sparing excess resources for. That's just poor management.”

“Sai…” Gaara warned.

“Should I lie?” Sai countered. “Say we all loved her so very much when it's clear to her that they didn't? I'm only here because of her connection to the Uchiha, and now to keep an eye on a potential political relation with Iwa. Nothing in my mission parameters ever paid much mind to her specifically until she started  _ making _ herself important. Shinobi are tools to be used as the village sees fit. Konoha doesn’t care about her feelings. It doesn’t care about whether or not she's happy or safe. All it cares about is keeping the village strong and prosperous. Kakashi was sent to retrieve you because we've experienced a shortage of shinobi since the war, and every person counts.”

“And that's  _ bullshit _ , Sai. It's complete bullshit!”

Sakura had clenched her fists again, but she had stopped her pacing. “People can't live like this. People can’t live just being things.”

“Maybe you believe so. But that's the way things are. There's no point getting upset about things you already know.”

Sai was...right. She should have known. Should have seen it. She wasn’t given the time of day because she wasn't strong like Naruto and Sasuke. She hadn't made it to the finals of the chuunin exam. She hadn't been able to protect her village from war beyond pointlessly chasing after Sasuke. She was an average shinobi  _ at best _ , so why would they waste time cultivating someone who would never excel? Waste time encouraging her when she would never be…

“I guess I'd just hoped.” Sakura admitted. “Hoped that Konoha was better than that.”

“It will be.”

Gaara stepped in front of Sakura, looking her in the eyes. “Look at me.” He insisted. “I used to be what they wanted. A tool. A weapon. A monster. But you did what they wouldn't. You made something human out of me. With you...with you I've felt joy and peace. With you, I felt... _ real _ . So even if Konoha is troubled now, even if Suna and Iwa and the rest of the world need fixing...I know we can fix it. You showed me how.”

“Gaara, I-”

“I want to start Onoki's neutrality project.” Gaara continued. “I want to be the bridge between everyone. I want to show them what you and Naruto showed me. That there  _ is _ a better path. We don’t have to live in a world where children are made into monsters. We will...we will make a world of  _ love _ .”

Sakura’s eyes flickered to the mark on Gaara's forehead, bright red against the boy's pale skin. And then, before she could react, Gaara had reached forward and hugged her.

He was warm and solid around her, like a mountain against her shaking body. Sakura was shocked, at first, but couldn't help but wrap her arms around him in turn. Tears finally began to escape her eyes, and she clung tighter as sob after sob left her throat.

She didn’t know how much time passed before she finally let go, but it had been more than enough. She wiped her eyes and gave Gaara a reassuring smile.

“I'll...be alright. And you're right. That's why I'm here, isn’t it? I wanted to help Naruto and Sasuke at first, but...then I met you, and all the others...they're all people that deserve happiness too. Even...even  _ you _ , Sai. We deserve a peaceful world but someone has to make it first, no matter what it takes.”

And it started here, in Iwagakure, with Onoki's project, and…

With keeping Kakashi safe.

“I have an idea.” She realized. “An idea that will work out for everyone.”

“About time.” Sai answered. “I'd thought you were just going to cry here all day.”

Sakura chuckled. “Sai, you can be a real ass sometimes, you know?”

“Putting it lightly.” Gaara mumbled.

“But...thank you, for what you said. You're right. I need to stop romanticizing my village. I need to really see how the world treats its shinobi, otherwise I'll never be able to fix it.”

Sai watched her for a moment before quickly looking back down to his book. “...I was just stating the obvious.” He insisted.

“Maybe so. But sometimes people need to hear it.” 

Sai didn’t answer as he stood up from the couch, putting away his small notebook. But when they reached the door, he spoke again, this time more softly. 

“I'll be curious to see what this world of love will be like.”

“Oh?” Sakura looked back at Sai, intrigued.

“If it's anything like you and Gaara, then…” Sai put a finger to his chin, thoughtfully. “I should expect people to be grumpy or crying.”

Sakura grimaced, but as she looked at Sai, she realized…

Was he just teasing them?

“You're an idiot, Sai.”

 

-

 

“Alright Kakashi-sensei. You've got two options.”

Sakura stood in front of Kakashi again, arms crossed, attempting to look on charge, professional. If she was going to be heading this project, she needed to work on her ‘in charge face’.

“Alright.” Kakashi answered. “I have two options.”

“Your first option is that you've come here under Konoha orders to infiltrate Iwa and retrieve me from their borders. This option will have you remain in this cell as a prisoner and bring about a possible declaration of war from Iwa, as they have proof of Konoha willingly breaking peace treaty agreements.”

“So, the first option is...the reason I'm here.” Kakashi deduced, frowning through his mask. “Sakura, I don’t see-”

“Option two!” Sakura interrupted. “Is that there was a terrible misunderstanding.”

“...ah.”

“Because you actually came here as an  _ ambassador _ to Konoha to speak with Iwa regarding a new group it is spearheading. A group of neutral shinobi that will act as an in-between for the shinobi villages and help them settle disputes before they can turn bad enough to lead to war.”

“Wait, Sakura, wh-”

“You know about this project because, being a former Konoha shinobi, I have sent the Hokage a missive detailing the goals of this group and hoped she might be able to send someone to help us iron out a system that will be beneficial for every village, not just Iwagakure.”

“Sakura!”

“ _ And _ .” Sakura finished. “You were sent here because you are my former sensei, someone that I know and trust, and that I’d had a good relationship with in the past. It is my hope that, between the two of us and the Tsuchikage, that we will be able to draft a treaty that will outline the beginnings of an alliance between all of the shinobi villages on the continent. This draft will permanently solidify borders, outline trade routes, and determine clauses for which villages will help each other in times of need. We will hopefully get the leader of the Plains village involved as well, and upon completion of the draft I will take the draft to every village and run it by every leader until terms have been agreed upon and finalized by me. Every village that signs onto the treaty will be privy to its benefits and beholden to its agreements, or else risk war with every other village involved in the signing.” Sakura took a deep breath, and then gave Kakashi a sheepish grin. “That’s...what Onoki and I have been working on anyway. I think it’ll go a long way towards helping restore relations between Iwa and Konoha if there’s a shinobi from each village working on the project to start. Plus, it will set an example for all of the other villages. If Iwa and Konoha can put aside their differences, anyone can. Regardless...you’re not taking me back, and...well, I’d rather not be forced to try and cool down a spat between Iwa and Konoha so early into my career as an ambassador, just because my sensei won’t take no for an answer.”

Kakashi sighed. “Well, you’re admittedly putting me in a difficult spot, Sakura.”

“Difficult to say no, you mean?”

“It implies my student is going to be heading into villages that are otherwise our enemy, on the vain hope that every single one of them won’t kill her on sight as a trespassing shinobi, and that  _ somehow _ each of them will agree to this proposition.”

“At least I’m doing  _ something _ instead of sitting around waiting for the grass to grow.”

“That you are.” Kakashi leaned back in his chair, letting out an even deeper sigh. “And here I thought you were the least troublesome of my students. I’d thought to myself, there’s no  _ way _ that Sakura could have gotten involved with anything more troubling than Orochimaru. She’s just gone for a little road trip to find herself, and I’ll have her back in no time.”

“This isn’t even the most troubling thing I’ve done this month.” Sakura admitted. “I met up with two of Akatsuki on the way here.”

Kakashi’s head flopped forward, eye widened. “You  _ what _ ?”

“One of them gave me this necklace.” Sakura held up the amulet of Jashin around her neck for Kakashi to see. “He’s also might be immortal. Not sure yet. I sent all the information I found to Tsunade, and I’ve told it all to the Tsuchikage as well. Knowledge about Akatsuki is going to be very valuable to every village with a Jinchuuriki, so if I tell them that I’ll share everything I know if they listen to my neutrality proposition, they’re probably going to want to listen, right?”

“...maybe so.”

“Well?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like I have a choice.” Kakashi admitted. “Option two. For now.”

“Option two. For now.” Sakura agreed. She looked back towards the door. “Gaara, can you ask them to come untie Konoha’s ambassador? There’s been a  _ big _ misunderstanding, you see.”

 

-

 

The table was quiet.

On one side, Sakura and Gaara sat close together. Gaara hadn’t touched his food, likely because Kakashi hadn’t touched his either. Gaara watched Kakashi, and Kakashi watched Sai. (Sai, thankfully, was more than happy to dig into his meal, and Sakura was getting increasingly grateful for the fact that the boy wasn’t unnerved by anything.)

“When you mentioned Root, I’d thought it was because you’d fought  _ off _ the agent that had been sent to investigate you.”

“Well that would have been rude.” Sakura replied, also more than happy to dig into a meal after an emotionally exhausting day. “After all, I didn’t have anything to hide, and if the leader of Root hears about the treaty, it’s not like there will be much they can do to stop it from happening.”

“You’re  _ severely _ underestimating Root.”

“Sai’s my friend.” Sakura insisted. “I trust him to speak well of me and help Root understand the importance of this.”

“That you would trust a member of Root in such a way more than implies that you are  _ definitely _ not ready to be an ambassador.”

“It’s not Root that I trust. It’s Sai.”

“Sai  _ is _ Root.”

“Sai is Sai.”

“Sai is getting tired of people talking about him like he isn’t there.” Sai spoke up, his usual fake smile plastered onto his face. “Danzo is more than eager to see how the neutrality project develops, and I am on orders to keep an eye on the progress of the project and see how Sakura brings it together. Such information will be vital to the village, especially if other villages begin to join in on this project.”

Kakashi’s eye narrowed, and he continued to watch Sai. And Gaara continued to watch Kakashi. And Sakura wondered if this was ever going to work. 

With a groan of annoyance, she stood up and began to make her way outside. She could do with a walk.

This was only the latest of conversations that Hadn’t Gone Well today. Though Onoki had done his best to appear non-threatening, it was hard when the man clearly held animosity towards Kakashi. (No doubt because of the last war.) If this was what it was going to be like trying to get all the Kage to communicate with each other, Sakura  _ wasn’t _ sure this project was going to work. The only consolation she had was that the two men hadn’t tried to kill each other. She’d known this was going to be hard work, but...seeing things in  _ action _ …

“I don’t trust him.” Gaara commented, as always following close behind her.

“You think he’s going to take me away from you.” Sakura corrected. “And he won’t. Even if he did, I’d find my way back. I’m not sending you back to Suna and I’m not going back to Konoha unless it’s to get Tsunade on board with this project, and in that case you’ll be coming there with me.”

“...I know. But he’s strong. And we don’t know what he’s planning now that he’s free.”

“No, we don’t.” Sakura admitted. “But...I wish I did. I used to trust him more than anything. He was my sensei. He’d keep me safe from the world if he had to. And…” 

And he’d make sure Sasuke never left.

She hadn’t realized how simple things had been before Kakashi showed up. But she supposed she was going to have to face Konoha one way or another if she was going to be an ambassador. Better now than later, when her village had grown even more bitter to her leaving.

Though it was a cold night, it didn’t bother Sakura as much anymore. She’d grown used to seeing her breath form white clouds in front of her face, and the hard crunch of the frozen ground beneath her feet. She didn’t wince like she used to when she sat upon a cold rock, and her body didn’t shiver as the wind blew through her. And that was with only a couple weeks of being here.

Stronger, she reminded herself. She was getting stronger. And she just had to show Kakashi that, show him that this was  _ worth _ it.

She didn’t have to wait long for her chance.

Kakashi had followed her out onto the mountainside. He didn’t show any sign of being cold, though whether that was strength of will or actual strength of body, Sakura wasn’t sure. Regardless, he still looked small as he approached her. Small and regretful.

He sat down on a rock next to her and pulled out one of his books.

Sakura frowned. “Is now really the best time to be reading your smut, Sensei?”

“I want to know how it ends.” Kakashi admitted.

“You’ve been reading that one since I became a genin.”

“I’m a slow reader.”

“And you’re also full of shit.”

“Alright, alright.” Kakashi flipped a page. “Maybe it’s easier to talk to people when I’ve got a book in my hand. And I’m not quite sure how to talk to you right now. You’re not the Sakura I remember.”

“No.” Sakura agreed. “I’m not. But that doesn’t mean we have to...I mean, I know I got mad, but…” She huffed. “Well, I feel like I had a valid reason to be mad, you know? But you’re still my sensei and I can’t hate you for what you did. Naruto and Sasuke were assets to the village. A Jinchuuriki and the heir to a powerful Kekkei Genkai, one that you share. And then there’s me, a civilian born kunoichi who could barely stand on her own in the chuunin exams. I get it. There wasn’t much encouragement to help me succeed when it was clear I’d never be them.”

“That’s definitely how the village would see it.” Kakashi nodded. “And...how I would have seen it. How I probably did see it. But...I should have known better. Every time I put the village before my comrades, it backfires. But even when I try for the people I care about, it backfires too.” He turned a page of his book, blushing slightly as he did. “Well...maybe I wasn’t really meant to be a sensei. I protested it, when the Third first put me in the rotation. I didn’t want children to look after. I just wanted to do my job, protect the village, do what I was good at doing. But...well, I’m not even really very good at that.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Sakura argued. “You’re one of the strongest shinobi I know.”

“...do you remember that gravestone I showed you, on the day of your bell test?”

“Yes?”

“Two of those were my comrades that I couldn’t protect. My genin squad, when I was first enlisted as a shinobi.”

Sakura grew quiet. She’d never even thought about Kakashi being on a genin squad. Never thought about him having teammates, partners...even now, she could barely picture it.

“Obito Uchiha.” Kakashi began. “Gave his life to protect me from a boulder trap. It was my first mission as a jounin commander, my last mission with my old team. We were deep into war with Iwa, and we’d been tasked with destroying a vital bridge across a Kusa river. Destroying it would cut off a supply line for Iwa, you see. But...destroying that bridge eventually fell to the Fourth Hokage, Minato. My own sensei and team leader. At the time, the other member of my team, Rin Nohara, had been captured by enemy shinobi. She was a medic-nin, highly valued for her skill and as a bargaining chip. I had elected to abandon her in favor of the mission. Obito elected to return and save her. Eventually, I came around to the right way of thinking and went to help...but I missed it. The trap. And Obito, in his selflessness, saved me from death, and with his own dying breath gave me his Sharingan eye.” Kakashi pulled up his headband, his eyes wincing slightly as the cold air hit them. “As for Rin, in that same war, she was captured again, and forcibly made a Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi. She chose to throw herself in front of my Chidori rather than be used as a tool against our village. I...saw her die on my hand.”

Sakura looked over, noticing that the book Kakashi was holding was shaking slightly. She hadn’t known. How  _ could _ she have known? Two teammates, lost to war. But…

“Then you should understand better than anyone why we should try to stop wars before they happen.”

“I wish the world was that easy, Sakura.” Kakashi answered. “I wish the Kage would all just sign a treaty and promise not to fight ever again. But even with that treaty, you don’t know how things will go. It’s all just words and false promises. Shinobi need something bigger than themselves to unite them, something bigger than the villages and the Kage. I’m not sure anything’s that big.” Kakashi’s hand slowly steadied, and he turned another page of his book. “At least, that’s what I might have thought.”

“Might have?”

“Sakura, what I’m about to tell you is something that will never leave this mountainside.”

Kakashi’s tone had shifted, and suddenly he wasn’t looking at his book at all, but at her. Sakura couldn’t help but nod. She looked back at Gaara briefly.

“He can hear this too, if you trust him.” Kakashi continued. “Discussing the death of the Fourth Hokage is strictly forbidden within the village. But you’re no longer declaring yourself part of the village, and if you’re going to dive into this, you need to know.”

“Need to know what, Sensei?”

“My theory. My theory that Naruto’s birth was sabotaged so that the Kyuubi could break free and destroy Konoha. My theory that the Fourth didn’t die just because of the Kyuubi’s power, but that there was someone there, behind the scenes, manipulating everything.” 

Sakura froze. The implication of that… “Orochimaru?” She asked tentatively.

“I’m not sure.” Kakashi admitted. “But there was no reason that the Kyuubi should have broken free. We took every precaution. There were Anbu everywhere, skilled midwives to help with the birth, and Minato himself was there to ensure the seal on Kushina Uzumaki did not break. The only thing that makes sense was that someone else was involved, and helped ensure that the seal  _ did _ break.” Kakashi, closed his book, looking out, instead, over Iwagakure in front of them. “...my belief, and the belief of Lord Jiraiya, is that someone from Akatsuki might have been involved.” 

“Akatsuki.” Sakura nodded. “They use the Kyuubi to destroy Konoha, and then take the Kyuubi for themselves. But it backfired, because the Fourth managed to seal the Fox inside of Naruto.”

“At the cost of his life.” Kakashi nodded. 

“But if they were willing to attack Konoha so directly, they could attack any other village. Itachi already infiltrated Konoha to try and kidnap Naruto. What if they try something here? Or with Gaara? Or-” Sakura hesitated. “Wait...this is what you were talking about. Something bigger than village squabbles. Something that could unite shinobi. Akatsuki is the bigger threat.”

“Exactly.”

Sakura looked over to her sensei, confused. “But...does that mean you support what I’m trying to do? Why are you trying to help me?”

“Sakura…” Kakashi shook his head. “Don’t you get it by now? You’re my precious student. Even if I don’t agree...I can’t be selfish. A peace treaty, even if it’s just between Iwa and Konoha, could be groundbreaking for our village. And if it’s what you feel you need to do, then as your sensei, I need to support you. A sensei is supposed to raise their students up, not bring them down. Something I should have known when I first was assigned to Team Seven. Something I don’t plan on forgetting.”

Sakura could have cried right then and there, but instead she found herself running to Kakashi’s side, throwing her arms around him. “Thank you, sensei. Thank you,  _ thank you _ .”

Kakashi seemed embarrassed, unsure of how to react to Sakura’s sudden presence. He gently patted her head. “Well, you’re not out of the woods yet. I need to make sure you’re really ready to be out here on your own. As your sensei, if I allowed you to go into this unprepared…”

“So, what?” Sakura let go of Kakashi with a frown. “You gonna make me try and steal some bells from you again?”

“Actually…” Kakashi’s eyes indicated a smirk. “That sounds like a  _ wonderful _ idea.”

 

“...wait, what?”

 

-

 

Morning hit, and Sakura and Gaara faced Kakashi in the middle of a large Iwa training ground. In the distance, Sakura could barely see Onoki and Kurotsuchi, as well as two older men that Gaara had introduced to her as Han and Roshi, the Iwa Jinchuuriki. An audience.

Great.

Kakashi had set a small timer on top of a log, and placed two bells upon his hip. Frighteningly nostalgic. “I heard from the leader of the Plains village that you took on someone who could use Magnet Release.” He called out to Sakura. “I also heard you’ve been studying earth-jutsu under the Third Tsuchikage himself. Couple that with your new Jinchuuriki partner, it shouldn’t be any trouble for you to get these bells, right?”

“...right.” Sakura answered, absolutely not certain she’d be able to. The last time she’d faced Kakashi, he’d caught her in a genjutsu and she hadn’t even managed to come  _ close _ .

But she wasn’t that kunoichi anymore.

_ And _ she had Gaara with her. 

“You have until noon.” Kakashi told them. “And if you don’t come at me with the intent to kill, you’ll never get the bells. If you can get them, I’ll concede that you’re ready to start spearhead the neutrality project. If not...then I will tell Lady Tsunade that she should push for a different ambassador.”

Ugh, that was even  _ worse _ . 

But she couldn’t let this set her back. She’d come so far. She’d learned so much. And son of a bitch, she was going to  _ get _ those bells even if it meant she had to take the beating of her life to do it.

She was slightly shocked to see Kakashi raise his headband up, revealing his Sharingan eye. “And this time, you don’t get easy mode.” Kakashi warned. “You’re out in the real world now, and the real world won’t hold back.”

“Alright.” Sakura agreed. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

“...begin!”

Sakura and Gaara moved simultaneously. They’d had time to plan, at least, and Sakura had spent a good portion of the evening before going over strategy and ways to approach Kakashi. Don’t look him in the eye unless you wanted your techniques copied. (This applied more to her; she doubted Kakashi could ever manipulate sand like Gaara did.) Move fast and be unpredictable. Above all else, aim to get close. Aim to get the bells.

Both of them slammed their hands down to the ground at the same time. At once, two things happened. Sand rushed forward from Gaara’s gourd, rushing towards Kakashi’s feet. He would have to jump away, Sakura had theorized, and it was harder to dodge when you were in the air. As Kakashi jumped, Sakura formed a pillar from the earth beneath him. (Inceptisol soil, ice as well as earth, she had to put in extra chakra to push the earth as well as the ice surrounding it…) It shot up, about a foot shorter than she intended, but still high enough to slam into Kakashi’s body.

The body disappeared with a puff of smoke. A substitution.

Right. She’d expected that. With a smile, Sakura formed her hand-signs and sent out a sensing pulse. Kakashi’s chakra signature was approximately five feet below the earth.

_Bad_ _idea_ , she thought to herself.

But the signature was moving closer, she realized. Kakashi intended to attack them from below, perhaps burying her in the earth much like he had done with Sasuke during the first bell test. “Below us!” She called out to Gaara. Without another word, Gaara summoned a layer of sand beneath them, lifting them into the air. They moved up just in time to see Kakashi burst out from the ground beneath them.

Double bad idea. Now he was close. 

Knowing Gaara would cover her, Sakura leapt down from the sand raft, aiming to reach for the bells while Kakashi was distracted. The jounin twisted away just in time, but not before Sakura felt the cool touch of metal beneath her fingers.

Damn. She’d been  _ close _ .

But also,  _ damn _ .  _ She’d been close _ .

“That was as far as Sasuke got.” Kakashi admitted as he hopped away from her. “But that’s still not close enough.”

“We’re just getting started.” Sakura grinned. 

 

Her grin only lasted for another half an hour. From there, it was frowning, and then frustration. Kakashi was  _ fast _ . His Sharingan could see her moves before they happened. Even with Gaara’s sand able to reach far distances and cover most of the ground, Kakashi managed to dance and jump just out of reach, bells ever present at his side. By the time there was an hour left on the timer, Sakura had touched the bells five times and Gaara had touched them twice. 

Her only consolation was that Kakashi was looking tired too. But she’d used up almost all of her chakra on this fight, and unless she wanted to drain herself completely, she was down to nothing but her fists and her wits.

“I’ll admit. You’ve gotten much stronger.” Kakashi commented to them. “I’m not questioning anymore how you managed to take that Magnet Release shinobi down.”

“Then just give up and let me have the bells.” Sakura retorted. “Then we can get some lunch and you can go back to your smut.”

“Not a chance.” Kakashi shook his head. “I told you, you had to prove yourself. An ambassador needs to be able to think quickly, adapt to any situation, and be able to defend herself from potential assassins. If you can’t do this simple task…”

“We can do it!” Sakura insisted. “I just need...five seconds to catch my breath.”

“Maybe you’re the one that should be thinking about giving up, if you need to take a break.”

“Never.” Sakura insisted. “I’m not giving up, Kakashi. I’ll show you everything I’ve accomplished since I left Konoha, and I’m going to get those damn bells. You won’t be able to stop me!”

Big words, but Sakura wasn’t sure she could follow up. He’d managed to dodge every single one of our techniques. The only thing she could do was catch him so completely off guard that he wouldn’t even have a chance to react. Something that no one in their right mind would suspect. 

She straightened herself up, ready to try once again, when all at once something flew at Kakashi from behind.

A small, black and white bird snatched the two bells from Kakashi’s waist. It soared over to Sakura and landed on her shoulder. As she reached up, confused, it dropped the bells into her hand.

“Traditionally, the bell test is done with one jounin leader facing off against three students.” Sai’s voice sounded as he landed next to her. “You couldn’t hope to win if it was two against one. But since you tired him out and kept him distracted, that let me finish the job. Three against one, as intended.” He turned to Sakura, smile at the ready. “And now I don’t owe you anymore for saving my life.” Then, so subtly Sakura almost missed it, his smile softened.

It looked...genuine.

“Sai, you beautiful bastard.” Sakura threw an arm around the shinobi’s shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. “We did it, Kakashi! We got your stupid bells!” 

“I think that’s technically cheating…” Kakashi protested.

“You never said I couldn’t call for help! And isn’t it an ambassador’s job to make friends?” Sakura laughed, pulling Gaara into the hug as well. “Now you have to accept us as ambassadors and support the project! You promised!”

“Us?” Sai asked. “I’m still part of Konoha, you know.”

“You helped get the bells. You’re stuck with us now, Sai, you can’t deny it anymore. We’re friends and you know it.”

This time, Sai didn’t protest. And something about this, the three of them, enjoying a victory together...something about it felt  _ right _ .


	28. Act One Epilogue: ???

_ “My sources in Sunagakure have informed me that the Ichibi Jinchuuriki has gone rogue. The last time he was seen was over a month ago.” _

_ “So first we lose the Kyuubi, now the Ichibi? Next you’re going to tell me the Three-Tails just up and wandered out of the damn pool you left it in.” _

_ “Quiet, Hidan.” _

_ “You be quiet, motherfucker. If I see the Ichibi, I’ll drag him here myself. I’m tired of playing the waiting game. When are we going to get to  _ **_kill_ ** _ some people?” _

_ “Patience. Our funding is almost in place. Once we have our containment built, we will proceed with the capture of the Jinchuuriki, and you may kill whomever you’d like to get to them.” _

_ “And just how long will this construction take, hn? How many more odd jobs do we need to take before we’re ready to move forward?” _

_ “If our current rate holds, we will be ready in two years. Until then, continue with your duties, and track down our missing Jinchuuriki. We cannot fail in our mission. Go forth, and do not allow yourself to be distracted from our goals.” _

 

The hologram faded, and young woman with hair as blue as the sky looked up forlornly at the falling rain. 

“Nagato…” She whispered to herself. 

  
  


_ Is this really what he would have wanted? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I was so terrified to publish this chapter and epilogue because it's a bit of a milestone for me. I've almost hit 100k words and I have definitely hit the end of Act One of SBATC. If I had to plan ahead, I would say my hope is for SBATC to have four acts in total, all about similar in length. (Maybe Act Four being a bit longer, depending on how things go.) There's going to be a bit of a time skip between now and the next chapter, and then gears are going to start shifting. Plot will be addressed. Pasts will be confronted. And as this story is ever changing and growing and bettering in my mind, things will happen that even I don't expect!
> 
> It's kind of surreal writing a fic like this, but I've been enjoying the ride, and I hope you guys have been too.
> 
> Act Two will see your ideas and comments being implemented. I've already decided on the three things I will be bringing in, and I'll make sure to credit the reader who suggested them when they come into play. In the meantime, here's the end of Act One everybody.))


	29. Act Two Prologue

**Act Two: Roots**

  
  
  


_ Dear Mom and Dad, _

 

_ I guess, first and foremost, I want you to know that I’m okay.  _

_ I don’t expect you to understand why I had to leave. I’ve kept a lot of my shinobi life from you in the past, some of it because I had to, but some of it because I wasn’t sure you’d want to know what it meant for your daughter to be a shinobi.  _

_ The world is a dangerous place. Our people have been at war since before the founding of our villages. Since I’ve left home, I’ve come to see that unless someone acts, this trend of death and destruction will not cease. I know it may be hard to believe, but where I am right now, I’m working to make things a better place for everybody. If all goes well, I’ll be helping forge a peace treaty that might prevent war from ever happening again. _

_ It might seem optimistic, but I have to hold out hope that one day nobody I care for will ever have to be caught up in violence ever again. I’m doing this for you, for Konoha, for everyone.  _

_ I miss you both, and I hope you’re well. If everything goes as planned, I’ll be visiting Konoha sometime in the future, and I can explain everything further then. Until then… _

_ Love you, _

_ Sakura _

 

_ - _

 

_ Ino, _

_ I know you probably have a lot of questions for me. And maybe a lot of yelling. But I promise, I have an explanation for everything. What I’m working on is sensitive, but I’m hoping it will set the foundation for an era of peace in the shinobi world. _

_ Maybe that’s a little heavy. I promise I’ll explain everything more when I get to Konoha, which should be soon.  _

_ More importantly, I wanted to let you know that I’m okay. I’d been thinking about you, recently. More specifically, I was thinking about when we were little. I still have that ribbon you gave me to hold up my hair. I’ve been using it, since I left my forehead protector behind. It’s funny, thinking about how I used to be back then. I was so shy and timid, but since I’ve left I’ve been to three different countries, and I’ve even been training under the Tsuchikage! I’ve been learning some awesome jutsu that’ll even show up your Mind Transfer!  _

_ I’ll show you when I get to Konoha. I’ve got so many amazing things to tell you about. _

_ I heard Naruto’s been spending time with your team from Kakashi-sensei. I know he can be a bit much at times, but he’s strong and reliable. He’ll also eat nothing but ramen if you let him, so make sure he eats something healthy every now and then! And if he gets distracted or unruly, you can motivate him by telling him that whatever you’re doing will help him get stronger.  _

_ I miss you. And I promise, I’ll see you soon. _

_ Sakura _

 

_ - _

 

_ Lee, _

_ I know this might seem out of the blue, but ever since I’ve left the village, I’ve wanted to talk with you. I don’t know what the village has said about me or why I’ve left, but all you need to know is that I had to leave, in order to get stronger. One day, I hope I’ll be strong enough to keep the people I love safe. I figured you of all people would be able to understand that. I will come back to Konoha soon, but for now, just know that I’m training to be a better shinobi. _

_ I actually wanted to thank you. I’ve been keeping up the training routine you taught me ever since I left! It was really difficult at first, but every day I could feel myself getting stronger. And now, I’ve got a new routine that I’ve been working on, and I bet it’ll even blow you away! Next time I’m in Konoha, I’ll show you what I’ve been up to, and maybe we can even spar together!  _

_ You’re in my thoughts, Lee, _

_ Sakura _

 

_ - _

 

_ Naruto, _

_ There’s a lot I need to tell you, about why I left. I know it must have hurt you, especially so soon after… _

_ I heard you went back to Konoha. I think that’s for the best. How can you hope to become the best Hokage if you leave and the village forgets about you? I know you can still train while you’re there, and if you keep doing missions, you’ll be a jounin by the time I’m back! And I will come back, I promise. And when I do, I’ll be stronger too. We’ll be able to take down Orochimaru together and make sure Sasuke’s safe, and if what I’ve been working on comes to fruition, we’ll be able to take down Akatsuki too. I know I’m being vague right now but...I’m not sure who might get ahold of this, and I’m not sure who we can trust. _

_ Naruto, Kakashi told me you’ve been apprenticing with Lady Tsunade. That’s really great! But promise me...if you see a man named Danzo, promise me you’ll keep your guard up? He’s worked for the village for a really long time, but that doesn’t mean he can be trusted.  _

_ Stay safe, Naruto. I’m always thinking of you. When I get back to Konoha, I’ll tell you everything I’ve been up to, and we’ll fix everything together. _

_ Sakura _

 

_ - _

 

_ Sasuke, _

_ I don’t know if this will even reach you. But if it does, I just want you to know… _

_ I think I understand now why you had to leave the village. In the past few months, I’ve learned so much about how the world is, and...it’s not great. Of course, you already know that. You’ve lived through the worst possible tragedy this world has to offer. I understand why you think that Orochimaru is the only one that will help you get strong enough to defeat Itachi. I understand why you couldn’t accept Konoha as your home. _

_ I understand, but...in some things, I think, you were wrong. But words aren’t going to show you that, are they? _

_ I’m getting stronger, Sasuke. And I’m getting stronger because of my bonds, not in spite of them.  _

_ I’m going to find you, Sasuke. And I’m going to show you. _

_ Sakura _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Short update, but it has been a holiday weekend. :P You'll be getting a full chapter next time.
> 
> But, in the meanwhile, this is the perfect opportunity for me to start working on the reward I promised for the 1000 kudos goal! I've created a survey for you guys with a list of characters, characters that I currently don't have POV chapters planned for. Please vote for your top three among the list; the winners will get POV time in a special intermission chapter I have planned for the future!
> 
> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMN2SQB
> 
> (EDIT: I have fixed the link, so if it was requiring you to select every character to answer, please try again. If the link doesn't work for you, please just comment with your votes! It will be counted either way!)
> 
> Thank you again for all of your comments and support! SBATC wouldn't have made it this far without all of you cheering me on. :) ))


	30. Chapter 30

Dark eyes scanned through the branches of thick conifers, coming to rest on a single flash of color amongst the green.

The bird had yet to notice his presence. It let out a series of high pitched chirps, puffing out the red feathers on its chest as it did so. It bounced back and forth from branch to branch, across from a similar looking bird with far more modest colors. 

He dipped his brush into the dark ink and let his brush fly across the page. In a series of several connected strokes, he had an outline, and from there some carefully placed detail-work began to bring the bird to life. Birds, he could do. It was almost like second nature, and even though these birds weren’t native to Konoha, birds were genuinely built the same. Similar body types, similar pattern of how feathers lay across the animal...this little bird was easy to recreate. Effortless. Even with such a strange pose, he’d captured the detail perfectly.

Sai frowned. 

He glanced downwards towards the forest floor. In the distance, a small mountain river flowed, a quiet babble against the wind and the birdcall that otherwise dominated. A shadow could be seen in the river, and after a moment a mess of pink hair burst forth from the water, taking in a gasping breath. The water was likely ice cold, but it didn’t seem to phase the kunoichi. She swam in this river every day, starting at the base of the mountain at the crack of dawn and swimming as far as her body could take her. Up here, the river continued for about another hundred feet before reaching a series of caverns. Rainwater pooled from the mountain’s peak and flowed into the river from its heights. Without going into the cavern, it was the furthest one could swim up the river. By Sai’s calculation, Sakura had swam more than a mile. 

She shook her head, sending cold water through the air as she continued to take gasping breaths. She would need a moment to catch her breath before coming to shore.

Sai stuck his brush into the ink, a look of genuine frustration on his face as he quickly began to paint.

Human forms were simple. He could do the outline of a head, of a body, of clothes... _ simple.  _ He could, at this point, draw the curves of Sakura’s building muscles in his sleep. If one looked through his notebook, they would find dozens upon dozens of his ‘trials’, from the very first week of his being in Iwa to now, months later. Sakura could have passed for a different person at this point. When she’d arrived here, she’d looked the part of a timid girl. Now, bursting forth from the river, she looked more the part of a warrior. Sai watched as a smile of relief passed over Sakura’s face, and  _ that _ was it,  _ that _ was the part he just couldn’t get, no matter how many times he tried. 

Sai gritted his teeth as he put the tip of his brush to the paper. Why, after all this time, why couldn’t he get a simple  _ facial expression _ right?

He was supposed to be a gatherer of information. When he had been sent out from Konoha, Danzo had entrusted him to gather information about Sakura Haruno, about the Jinchuuriki Gaara, about Iwagakure, about  _ anything _ he could get his hands on, but if he couldn’t reproduce the face of one girl, what did that mean about him? If he could sketch a  _ bird _ , but not the object of his investigation, could he really be considered a proper investigator at all?

But in an even stranger fashion, Sai  _ liked _ not being able to get her face just right. He liked it, because whenever he couldn’t get it right, he felt an angry heat in his chest, a tightness in his facial expression. Frustration.  _ Anger _ . 

Sai hadn’t remembered feeling anger since he was a child. 

So as much as the feeling irritated him, Sai had begun to crave it. So he continued to grit his teeth and he continued to put his brush to the page. He could see the expression in his mind, picture it, so  _ why couldn’t he put it to the page _ ?

There was a flicker of movement below, and in a flurry of sand and earth, the Jinchuuriki appeared at the water’s edge, brown coat billowing out beneath him. He clicked a small object in his hand and spoke aloud. “Twenty four minutes and eighteen seconds.”

“Damn!” Sakura cursed, splashing angrily at the water. “Five seconds short of Lee’s record. And he’s wearing weights!”

“He’s also not swimming at altitude.” Gaara pointed out. “Konoha rivers are more flat.”

“He wouldn’t take that as an excuse and neither should I.”

Sai watched a smile come to Gaara’s face as he reached a hand out to help Sakura out of the water. When he’d first met the Jinchuuriki, he’d barely seen the boy make any expressions at all. Now, after all this time, smiling seemed to come to him as easy as breathing.

(Out of habit, Sai forced himself to smile, attempting to mimic Gaara’s own. If he didn’t practice, how could he appear believable?) 

As Sakura knelt in the grass on the riverside, still panting from her swim, Gaara began to lay out a towel and dry clothes. The typical routine. Sai attempted once more to sketch the look on Sakura’s face, the look of bold determination, frustration at not reaching the record, exhaustion, relief at Gaara’s aid...so many emotions flickering across her face so rapidly.

The frustration returned, and this time Sai closed his book and stashed away his brush. Not this time. He wouldn’t be able to get it this time.

But he wouldn’t stop trying until he  _ did _ . He wouldn’t stop trying until he could replicate what it was about Sakura Haruno’s emotions that drew him to want to break his own training and  _ feel _ again. 

“Sai! Get down here you lazy ass!” 

That was his cue. Sai pushed himself off of his perch, landing on the ground below with the silence and grace of a true Root agent. By then, Sakura had already pulled on her clothes and begun to walk his way.

“So, have you changed your mind?”

Sai blinked. Changed his mind?

Ah, that was right. Iwa was holding a summer festival that evening. They’d been told that there would be performances, games, food, and all sorts of civilian activities that Sai had never participated in before. He hadn’t  _ needed _ to. Shinobi didn’t get vacations. The defense and upkeep of the village was a constant duty. That shinobi took such time at  _ all _ was illogical, and the only reason that Sai had thought about such a thing was because Sakura hadn’t stopped badgering him about it since she’d heard of it a week ago.

“No.” He answered simply. “I see no point in attending such an event. I will have reports to write for my superior before we leave Iwa tomorrow.”

“Boring.” Sakura frowned, reaching out to poke at his chest. “You could write a report about...I don’t know, cultural practices in Iwa? Use it as an excuse to spy on all the shinobi that will be there? Or maybe even just spend some time with  _ us _ ?”

Sai couldn’t meet Sakura’s eyes with that. Even after all this time, weeks,  _ months _ ...Sakura was still insisting that they were friends. 

He glanced downwards towards the book in his hands. In his mind he saw every drawing, every line he’d put to paper, every one of them of Sakura. He’d drawn a hundred expressions, but this one, the one she was giving him now...there was some sort of genuine plea in her eyes, and Sai still couldn’t understand why she  _ wanted _ him along. 

But perhaps even more frustrating than that was the feeling Sai got in his chest whenever Sakura dragged him along on some training mission or evening activity or...insisted that he join her in attending this festival affair. A feeling that just wouldn’t leave. A feeling that almost felt...pleasant.

“Alright.” He finally said. “I suppose it would be beneficial to write some reports on...cultural practices in Iwa.”

“ _ Yes _ .” Sakura pumped a fist into the air. “Now all we have to do is convince Kakashi. Come on, Gaara, he’s probably reading that dumb book on a roof somewhere.” 

“I...promised to meet with Han and Roshi one last time before we left.”

“Oh, right! I’ll meet you for lunch, then?”

 

Sai watched as the two began to make their way back down the mountain towards the village. Gaara still had a smile as Sakura chatted, and Sakura was her usual cheerful self. And Sai...Sai felt  _ something _ after all this. A sinking sensation in his stomach, a tightness in his chest…

Guilt, he realized. Guilt for letting himself be swayed by such indulgences. Guilt for getting distracted over a target. Guilt for... _ feeling _ . 

He heard a small rustle, and felt a presence appear next to him. Sai immediately pocketed his book.

“Hello, Hatake.”

“Sai.”

The man known as Kakashi Hatake was, at times, as much of an enigma as Sakura, but he was a  _ predictable  _ enigma. Here was a man who had served in Anbu’s general force, and even under Danzo in Root for a time. Kakashi had earned a reputation for being someone willing to put the safety of the village above the lives of even his own teammates. Him being sent here to retrieve a genin who had once served under him was logical. Him being ordered to stay here in Iwa by the Hokage so that he could ensure the neutrality agreement being written would be favorable to Konoha was also logical. 

But what Sai  _ couldn’t _ explain was why Kakashi had taken it up to follow him  _ everywhere _ .

They were both supposed to be working for the benefit of Konoha, and even if Kakashi was no longer a part of Root, surely he understood that, as a Root agent, Sai was helping ensure Konoha’s survival? But Kakashi, at first, had seemed nothing but suspicious of Sai’s behavior. The jounin, when he wasn’t working with Sakura, had spent every waking hour trailing Sai wherever he went. Two entire weeks passed with Kakashi on his tail, to the point where Sai had even felt nervous sending his regular reports.

But then, out of nowhere, something shifted. Suddenly, Kakashi had stopped trailing him from afar and instead had started to spend time...closer. Sai would be writing down information and suddenly he’d notice Kakashi on a branch nearby, reading that strange book of his. Sai would be watching Sakura train from a rooftop and Kakashi would land next to him...reading that strange book of his. And the worst part about it was, whenever the two of them were alone, sometimes Kakashi would...talk.

At first, it was simple discussion about the current status of Root. Sai found himself initially suspicious of this, but Kakashi  _ was _ a former Root member, and thus one of the only people he  _ could _ talk about Root-related topics with. Sai still held his tongue, for the most part. He knew enough to know that the Hokage and Danzo didn’t always agree, and it was possible Kakashi had been asked to find information on Root for the Hokage to use against Danzo. But eventually, the conversations began to shift. It was no longer questions about Root, but soon questions about Konoha, about the state of the village, about what  _ he _ thought of Konoha. Sai had never had the privilege of being allowed an opinion before. It didn’t matter what he thought of the village, all that mattered was doing his job. Sai allowed himself to give curt responses. Generic ones. Answers that couldn’t be used against him or Root.

And then, the worst part came. Eventually Kakashi started asking him about  _ himself _ . 

The thing that Kakashi seemed to fail to understand was that there wasn’t anything to talk about when it came to himself. Sai had no past, no future but that of the village. He didn’t have likes or dislikes, he didn’t have dreams or ambitions, and he didn’t have  _ hobbies _ .

And even if he did... _ feel _ something when it came to Sakura Haruno, he wasn’t so stupid as to admit it in front of anyone. 

“Sakura is looking for you.”

“I know.” Kakashi commented, his eye glancing over a page of his book as he talked. “But I wanted to talk to you. Has Danzo decided what your next assignment will be when you leave Iwa?”

“I will be following Sakura Haruno until she returns to Konoha. From there, I will take my next assignment.”

“I see.” Kakashi answered. “You know, despite my warnings, my precious student seems rather fond of you.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed that oddity.”

“And if I had to warrant a guess about you, I’d say, perhaps deep down, you might have gained a little fondness for her over the past few months.”

Sai frowned. This again. “Sakura is merely a target. I feel nothing for her, as is proper.”

“I just have to make sure, you know. Danzo might get worried that his agent is beginning to feel compromised.”

Sai did his best to maintain the facade of an emotionless exterior. But he had to admit, Kakashi made it  _ extremely _ difficult.

“I maintain that, as a proper Root agent, I feel nothing.” 

“How very interesting.” Kakashi chuckled. “I just wanted to see what you had to say on the matter. But more importantly, when are you going to tell Sakura?”

“That I feel nothing?” Sai was baffled by the suggestion. “I believe she would punch me.”

“No, not that.” Kakashi countered. His book lowered, and the man looked up to meet Sai’s gaze.

“When are you going to tell Sakura that Danzo ordered you to return to Konoha a month ago?” 

Sai froze.

_ How had he found out? _

He’d been certain that, at the very least, Danzo would have taken Sai’s past month of silence as a sign that Sai couldn’t return home without compromising... _ something _ . The mission, his position, information,  _ something _ . He’d assumed, even if Danzo had taken his month of silence as insubordination (perhaps correctly so), that Danzo would have kept this information private and within the ranks of Root. Sai had assumed Root agents would have been sent to question him.

_ So how had Kakashi learned the truth? _

Years of Root training was the only reason that Sai managed to keep a straight face. He forced himself to smile, the only way he knew to keep the situation from going...sour.

“Foolish of you to assume that everything you hear is correct, Hatake. You know as well as anyone that Root is masterful at planting false information.”

“So Root wanted the Hokage and I to believe that you were refusing to return home, is that what you’re suggesting?” Kakashi went back to his book, chuckling again. “Not exactly certain  _ why _ Danzo would want us to believe that, if not to see if I could find you and bring you home. If you really were planting that sort of information, wouldn’t it be detrimental to your mission?”

Sai’s smile faltered. Kakashi’s logic was sound. And he absolutely  _ could not _ let Kakashi know it.

“As I said, Root is masterful at planting false information. If you fully understood Danzo’s plans, he would not be very good at his job, would he?”

“Ah, of course.”

Sai turned to leave, not wanting to meet Kakashi’s eyes any further. The man knew too much. The man  _ knew _ . Even if Sai could try to argue his way around it, eventually the truth would come out.

In the months since he’d followed Sakura Haruno to Iwa, Sai had become  _ compromised _ .

And he had no idea what he was going to do.

 

-

  
  


As Gaara caught sight of the small hut at the top of the hill, he braced himself.

His sand would automatically protect him, but Gaara had learned in his months of training that against a certain someone, it wasn’t necessarily enough. Lee had been the first to be fast enough to break through his sand, but…

_ Roshi _ , on the other hand…

He felt the force of the Yonbi suddenly slam against his own as Roshi approached, a hurricane of power that his sand could only barely keep up with. Gaara decided, this time, to take a strategic approach. With a flare of chakra, he performed a substitution, leaving a sand clone in his place for Roshi to demolish. That would give him approximately three seconds to get closer to his goal.

Roshi believed that a shinobi should be prepared for anything. He believed that a Jinchuuriki, more so than anyone else, should be prepared for the worst. And when Roshi had finally decided to help Han in training Gaara, Roshi had implemented one single schedule to the program.

A training he liked to call: ‘Danger Can Strike At Any Time and You’d Better Be Prepared’.

(The original name had a lot more cursing. Gaara had simplified it down in his mind to remember it better.)

The training usually took place as Gaara made his way up to their home. Today, Han had invited Gaara over for one final breakfast before he and Sakura left Iwa. Of course, that meant one final time that Roshi would try to break his defenses.

If he made it to the hut, he passed the training. If Roshi managed to land a single hit, then he failed the training. Gaara was used to playing an ultimate defender, but speed had never been his forte.

At least, it  _ hadn’t _ been.

Gaara concentrated, reaching out with his mind until he connected with Shukaku. There were no words spoken, but there was an understanding. Gaara needed to pass the training. And Shukaku was too prideful to lose to ‘that horrid monkey’.

Shukaku’s spite, it seemed, was a powerful motivator for their symbiosis.

Gaara felt Shukaku’s energy begin to spiral within him. It was a warm sort of power, and he could manipulate it now as easily as breathing. He sent the power pushing towards his legs, and he pushed off the ground towards the door of the hut. The scenery seemed to fly by him, and Gaara reached for the doorknob. If he could just  _ touch _ it…

Roshi appeared in front of him, and it took every bit of Gaara’s reflexes to dodge the punch that was thrown his way. His sand, unfortunately, wasn’t quite fast enough to keep up with his enhanced speed yet. It would be several seconds before the sand caught up, and that meant that he would have to rely on his own dodging ability until then. 

He saw Roshi’s hands flicker with movement, and paled slightly. Roshi was  _ really _ going all out today.

The man’s cheeks puffed up, and a flurry of molten rocks spewed forth from his mouth. Lava Release, Gaara had learned, which was the specialty of the Jinchuuriki of the Yonbi. If even one of the rocks hit him, it would melt through his sand armor and...well, that would be the end of that.

Gaara pushed himself backwards, skidding along the ground. He wasn’t fast enough to dodge, but he  _ was _ powerful enough to move more earth than just his sand. He slammed his hands to the ground, summoning up the earth beneath him into a thick wall, just in time to provide himself with cover against Roshi’s rocks. 

The wall crumbled slightly, but it held.

His sand caught up, and that gave him an immediate edge. As Roshi appeared behind him for yet another attack, his sand was able to provide cover. Gaara pushed more chakra to his legs and leaped over the wall he’d made, once again heading for the door.

But this was a diversion. He had to play it smart.

As he made it to the top of his wall, Gaara created another sand clone with a substitution jutsu. As predicted, Roshi was fast enough to catch up with his clone immediately, shattering it to dust with a single blow of his fist.

But it was just a clone, and Gaara had just the right amount of time he needed to reach the doorknob. He grabbed hold of it and pulled the door open, moving out of the way just in time as Roshi went flying into the hut.

Gaara winced as he heard Roshi slam into one of the cabinets inside. It happened frequently, but it still made him cringe every time. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the cabin, going to offer a hand to the grumbling Jinchuuriki.

“Damn those clones of yours.” Roshi complained, though he took Gaara’s hand regardless. “But I suppose you’re starting to get a brain in that head of yours. I can’t even tell the difference between your clones and your real body anymore.”

“It probably helps having such a diligent teacher.” Han’s voice echoed out from the kitchen. 

“I’m not sure if diligent is the word I would use.” Gaara countered, by now used to the banter that tended to fill the hut. 

“Ah, true. Most people would call Roshi insane.”

“Han, you bastard, just give me a damn muffin.” Roshi stomped into the kitchen, opening the oven and reaching directly into it, despite the protests from the other man. It had startled Gaara at first, seeing how  casual Roshi was about reaching into fires and ovens and other things that would burn most people, but Shukaku had assured him that the day the Yonbi couldn’t handle a bit of fire was the day the world would freeze over. 

Gaara allowed himself to settle at the small table, giving Han a smile as a plate of fried eggs and bacon was deposited in front of him. It would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy mornings like these, though he would have preferred Sakura to be here as well, but there was something about the simple, domestic attitude of the Iwa Jinchuuriki that made him hopeful for the future. If the two of them could live here together, peacefully, then that meant that he could have a peaceful future of his own to look forward to. Once everything was said and done, once Akatsuki was defeated and the neutrality project was in full swing…

Gaara blushed slightly as he considered a small house of his own, hot breakfast on the table…

Sakura smiling at him from the other side. 

“You’ll be writing to us, I hope?” Han spoke up, sitting down in his chair with a small rumble. “I’m curious to hear how the other Jinchuuriki are faring. If they’re not doing well…”

“ _ No _ , Han, no more house guests!” Roshi argued. “It’s bad enough having to watch your back every time we’re out. No strays!”

“Send them our way.” Han continued anyway. “You know we love company.”

The breakfast was as calm as it could be with the couple’s light banter, and as he ate Gaara let his mind wander to the festival he’d be attending tonight. There had occasionally been festivals in Suna, but he’d never felt any desire to go, back when he’d lived there. Even now, the concept of large crowds was a bit intimidating, but Sakura had been so excited to go that he couldn’t help but want to go too.

“You need to wear something nice for the festival.” Han told him as they ate. “Something a bit more formal than your shinobi-wear. Do you have a yukata?”

“No.” Gaara admitted. He’d picked up clothes during his time at Iwa, but never anything formal.

He looked up just in time to see Han shooting a glance towards Roshi, who turned red and looked away. 

“He’s not having one of mine!”

“Roshi will let you borrow one.” Han turned to Gaara with a smile. “It’ll be a better experience if you can blend in with the crowd, I think. Plus, you might catch Sakura’s eye if you dress up nice.”

Gaara blushed again. He wasn’t used to feeling so flustered at the thought of... _ anyone _ . 

But despite Shukaku’s retching noises in the back of his mind, it wasn’t, Gaara realized, an unpleasant feeling. In fact, he was beginning to savor it. 

 

-

 

There was one hour before the festival began, and it  _ still _ wasn’t enough time.

She’d managed to convince Kakashi to go, which had been step one of the day. Step two had been ensuring that she had the proper yukata for a festival. (Sakura wasn’t sure she’d have a chance to glamour up in the future, and if she missed the opportunity now she  _ knew _ she’d regret it.) She’d found a dark red one with pretty pink cherry blossoms sewn into the fabric, and perhaps it was a bit heavy-handed given her name, but she’d liked it and damn it all, it looked good on her. 

Step three was the more difficult one. It had been a step three for days now,  _ weeks _ even, whenever she’d had free time after a day of training or drafting the neutrality agreement. Step three...involved a library.

It was funny that she so often ended up in libraries. It had been a library that had started her journey away from Konoha, that had started  _ all _ of this, and here she was, yet again, hitting the books. These were books she’d read before, a million times, but she kept scanning over them in case there was some hint, some sort of clue that she’d missed when reading them before.

“Looking up Madara Uchiha again, eh?”

Sakura looked up as Onoki’s voice echoed in the small study room. She gave the old man a sheepish smile.

“You caught me, Onoki-sensei. I know you’ve told me everything you remember, but between that and the records you have...I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like everything’s here.”

“Talk me through it.”

Onoki sat across from her, his back cracking as he did so. Sakura winced, though in truth she’d gotten used to it. 

“Alright.” She agreed. Talking through it, it was. “So, I think I have everything about Madara during his prime. It’s really his death that doesn’t seem to add up.”

“And why, pray tell, is my student interested in the death of Madara Uchiha?”

“I’ll get there in a minute.” Sakura promised. “Let’s start with the Valley of the End and the battle between Madara and Hashirama Senju.” Sakura pulled out a notebook, using her notes for a reference. “It’s generally agreed that Madara, believing that Konoha would never be a place of peace for shinobi, abandoned the village and left for some time. When he returned, he did so intending to destroy the village, and he intended to do so using the Nine-Tailed Fox. The Kyuubi.” Sakura pointed at her notes. “That right there is important. Madara didn’t have the Kyuubi sealed inside of him. He wasn’t a Jinchuuriki. The history says that Madara was able to  _ control _ the Kyuubi using his Sharingan. If this was possible for all Sharingan users, then why haven’t we seen anyone do it since?” 

“I believe I can answer that.” Onoki offered. “Madara’s strength far surpassed that of his clan. It was well known that his Sharingan was different from that of normal Sharingan. There’s even rumors that he took his dying brother’s eyes in order to strengthen his own.”

“I remember you mentioned that.” Sakura nodded. “And that rumor specifically is really interesting. It could just be a tall tale, but...Kakashi-sensei has a transplanted Sharingan, we know eye transplants are possible. If the rumor has any truth to it at all, then it’s an important detail. We could call it a Sharingan upgrade, and if it exists, we can assume it has the power to control a Tailed-Beast. So, we keep that in mind.” She flipped through her notes again, coming to rest on a new page. “So, Madara brings the Kyuubi and attempts to destroy the village. Hashirama moves to defend the village. They fight. They fight and it’s  _ such _ a terrible fight that it levels mountains and landscapes to create the Valley of the End as we know it now. And in the end, Hashirama wins and Madara is defeated. No, not just defeated. Madara is  _ killed _ .” Sakura tapped her pen on her notebook, thinking. “From there, the Kyuubi is sealed into Hashirama’s wife to make the first Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. The village is saved. Life moves on. So...what’s wrong with this picture?” 

“I’m sure you plan on telling me.”

“ _ What happened to Madara’s body _ ?”

Sakura chewed on the tip of her pen as she thought aloud. “There’s no memorial for Madara Uchiha as far as I can remember, and I find that strange to begin with. Wouldn’t the Uchiha want to honor their founding member? And even if they didn’t, simply because of Madara’s betrayal, then why didn’t they recover the body for the sake of recovering Madara’s  _ eyes _ ? Madara has the strongest Sharingan ever known, and they didn’t think to transplant them onto another Uchiha? What if an enemy village got ahold of the body? I know for a fact that the Hyuuga go to extreme lengths to preserve their Byakugan, so why didn’t the Uchiha do the same for Madara’s upgraded Sharingan?”

“That...is a very good point.” Onoki’s face grew serious as he glanced over Sakura’s notes. “Is it possible the body was recovered in secret?”

“I think whatever happened to the body  _ was _ a secret, but one we haven’t solved yet.” Sakura agreed. “If the body had been recovered or returned to the Uchiha clan, then it’s possible the body was just...entombed and the eyes left alone. I feel like that’s an unlikely possibility, but it’s one we can’t leave out. I haven’t been to the Uchiha compound, and the only way I could know for sure would be to search it myself, which...is probably out of the question. But we can definitely conclude that the Uchiha clan weren’t actively using Madara’s eyes, because it would have been village knowledge. It would have been impossible to hide that one of the Uchiha was just impossibly stronger than the rest. So, either Madara’s body was laid to rest and  _ never _ disturbed...or something else happened to the body.”

“You think someone else recovered it?”

“I  _ know _ someone else recovered it. Either that, or someone else managed to replicate Madara’s eyes, and we have two mysteries on our hands. I present the incident of the Rampage of the Nine-Tailed Fox over a dozen years ago.” Sakura turned her notes around so that Onoki can read. “It’s public knowledge that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha around this time. What we have to ask ourselves is...how did the Kyuubi escape its container?” 

“A poor seal?” Onoki suggested. “Though considering Mito Uzumaki held it for her entire life, that seems unlikely. Uzumaki seals are legendary.”

“Precisely.” Sakura agreed. “Mito Uzumaki survived  _ childbirth _ without the seal breaking once. She carried the seal until her death. So what happened with Kushina Uzumaki, the next host, that caused the seal to break?”

“You’re thinking sabotage.”

“I am.” Sakura nodded. “But of course, sabotaging the seal so that the Kyuubi could break free would take someone of considerable power to begin with. They’d not only have to breach village defenses, and whatever guard Kushina might have had with her, but they’d also have to overpower her and ensure that she wasn’t capable of strengthening the seal as they tried to weaken it. I think that severely narrows down the list of shinobi who are capable of orchestrating such a thing. And on top of that...say the Kyuubi escapes, rampages, destroys the village like you hope...that still means it’s free, and that means it could go rampage  _ anywhere _ . It’s a stupid idea that risks yourself...unless you have the means to control it.”

“I see where you’re going with this.” Onoki frowned. “You think someone with Madara’s eyes orchestrated the Kyuubi’s attack on Konoha. Someone that could control the Kyuubi once it was done destroying the place.”

“I do. And, if that’s the case...if that’s  _ true _ ...then there’s another, worse conclusion that such a thing leads to.” Sakura chewed harder on her pen, grimacing as she did. “I think someone with Madara’s eyes is leading Akatsuki. They need someone capable of controlling Tailed Beasts, someone strong enough to break the seals on Jinchuuriki and seal the beasts into other people. And if that’s the case, Onoki-sensei…” Sakura swallowed. “I’m scared that Akatsuki might be unstoppable.”

“Bah.” Onoki rolled his eyes. “The Second Tsuchikage and I were able to handle Madara. If there is someone out there with his eyes, we’ll be able to handle him too. You, in particular, have been studying under me extensively for the past few months. Do you think I’ve taught you nothing?”

“No, Onoki-sensei!” Sakura protested. “I’ve learned more here than in my entire first  _ year _ of being a shinobi.”

“Do you think you are not strong enough to take on an Uchiha?”

“...maybe.”

“Then you are foolish.” Onoki huffed. “Uchiha are as fallible as any other shinobi. Their eyes are strong, but they have their own weaknesses. Hashirama did not take down Madara because his  _ eyes _ were stronger. He took down Madara because he was a strong and capable shinobi.”

“He had Wood Release.” Sakura argued. “Something nobody else has been able to use ever since him.”

“Then you need to find something better than Wood Release. You need to find something that only Sakura Haruno will ever be able to use, and once you cultivate that, an Uchiha will be no problem. You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure something out.” Onoki stood up in his chair, determined as he spoke. “I did not spend all this time training you, working with you on this damn project to hear you intimidated by the mere  _ concept _ of an Uchiha warrior. I am  _ insulted _ that you think so little of yourself. Look at all of these notes you’ve put together. You may have just  _ insinuated _ more information about the leader of Akatsuki than anyone in any village has managed to put together, and you did so with nothing but  _ your  _ brain.”

Sakura smiled. “Okay, you might have a point.”

“If there is an Uchiha at the helm of Akatsuki, they will not last long. You are about to go on a journey to unite the shinobi world. Do you really think one Uchiha can stand against the united might of every shinobi village on the continent? A united Kage force? The united Jinchuuriki? Every powerful shinobi you’ve ever known, working in harmony?” 

“I guess they’d have to be a pretty strong Uchiha, wouldn’t they?” Sakura closed her notebook, letting herself sigh in relief. “Maybe I’m worrying too much.”

“No. I wouldn’t say that.” Onoki’s gaze softened. “To worry about such things...you’ll need to, as the future develops. If Akatsuki is truly everything you claim, then it might just take a united shinobi front to stop them. And right now, you are the world’s best chance. It’s enough pressure to make most shinobi buckle.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“But you won’t. You are my student, and no student of mine gives up that easily. Isn’t that right?”

“...yeah.” Sakura nodded, standing up as well. “You’re right, Onoki-sensei. I have to try. I have to do this.”

“And you have less than an hour to get ready for the festival.” Onoki pointed out. “If my student isn’t there, it’ll be quite the embarrassment for me, you know.”

“I’ll be there, I’ll be there.” Sakura giggled, gathering her things. “But the way you’ve been talking, it sounds like this festival is going to be different from the other ones. You’re not planning anything extravagant, are you?” 

Onoki gave her a small wink before laughing. “Me, plan something extravagant? Never in a million years.”

Sakura knew better than to believe it.

 

Half an hour later, Sakura had changed into her yukata and pulled her hair up into a neat bun. It had started to get long again, and Sakura found herself torn between keeping it short for practicality’s sake, or letting it grow long again for...well, it would be for aesthetic, she had to admit it to herself. She had initially let it grown long to impress Sasuke, but now she wasn’t so sure. Kurotsuchi kept her hair short. In fact, most of the kunoichi in Iwa seemed to favor short styles. Harder for an opponent to grab, less likely to get in your eyes. But Tsunade had long hair, and she was a  _ kage _ . Tsunade was strong to just ensure that  _ no one  _ grabbed her hair.

Sakura sighed. She liked to think she looked pretty either way. Maybe she would just see how things went in the future. If it got too bothersome, she could trim it again. 

She heard a knock on her bedroom door, and she hastily went to open it. She paused as she realized who was on the other side.

Gaara was there, wearing a deep magenta yukata. It was slightly big on the boy, but it was the first time Sakura had ever seen him in such attire, and it was admittedly jarring. But Gaara looked nervous, and Sakura wasn’t going to be so rude as to visibly look shocked at him wearing it. She put on her biggest grin.

“You look great!” She insisted. “Are you excited for the festival? I think Onoki’s planning something big, but he won’t tell me anything about it…”

She continued to talk as they exited the apartment. She knew her talking set Gaara at ease, and since this was his first time attending a festival, she figured it was her duty to make sure he had the time of his life. 

It put her even more at ease when Sai hopped down from a tree to join them. He hadn’t dressed up; even Sakura knew better than to expect Sai to wear anything other than his Anbu gear, but he’d still showed up, and after they’d found Kakashi…

It was as good a night as she could have wanted.

 

The festival spread out through the center of the village. Brightly colored lights lit up the streets, and dozens upon dozens of vendors could be seen every way Sakura turned. She dragged Gaara and Sai to the games first. They were usually rigged in such a way that shinobi couldn’t get the edge, so it was hilarious to see both Gaara and Sai try (and fail) to win at dart throwing and ball tossing games. 

(It was equally hilarious to see a frustrated Gaara use his sand to knock over the coconut shy stands when he realized that the coconuts were usually nailed to the stand.)

The dancers eventually drew Sakura’s attention away from the games. The outfits and movements were far different from anything she’d seen in Konoha, and Iwa’s choice of instruments constructed a unique melody that seemed to echo against the stone walls of the village. But more interestingly, Sai seemed far more interested in the dancing than she did. He stopped every time they came across a new group, an unreadable expression on his face as the music played and the dancers twirled. 

Sakura wasn’t sure how long Sai would be staying with them. At some point, he’d be called back to serve Konoha in a different way. But she figured the least she could do was give him a good time to remember while he was out of Root’s influence.

(And maybe, if she played her cards right, she could use the neutrality project to ensure that no group like Root came into existence ever again. But that was a wish for the far future.)

It was almost midnight when a hush came upon the square, and Sakura noticed that a crowd had begun to gather. She took Gaara and Sai by the hand and led them deep into the crowd. Whatever was going on, whatever  _ Onoki _ had planned...she wanted front row seats.

It turned out, of course, that she was getting far more ‘front row’ than she had planned. Onoki himself had set up a stage in the village square, and gathered with him were Kakashi and, to Sakura’s surprise, Satomi from the Plains Village. 

“People of the village of Iwagakure, as your Tsuchikage I have an announcement to make to all of you!” Onoki spoke, his loud voice echoing across the square. “Over the past few months, I have been working with several shinobi on a project that I have no doubt will revolutionize the shinobi world. The paperwork I hold in my hands is the draft for a treaty that I hope will formalize neutral relationships between the shinobi villages of the world, and help prevent the need for war in the coming years. This project is being spearheaded by none other than my recent student, Sakura Haruno, who leaves Iwa tomorrow to take this draft across the world to be signed. The project, however, will begin here with myself and two other villages. For the first time since this village’s founding, Konoha and Iwa will formally be at peace!” 

Sakura’s eyes widened as she realized the spectacle Onoki had put together. This was no longer going to be a tight secret. In announcing this in such a public place, with so many people, the word was  _ bound _ to get out. Everyone was going to know about the neutrality project. Everyone was going to know that  _ she _ was coming with it.

And as Onoki pulled her up onto the stage, Sakura realized that this really was only the beginning. She’d have to get used to this sort of publicity if she wanted the project to succeed, and right here, right now, was the best time to do it. Not only that, she was witnessing history. Konoha and Iwa, putting aside the past, putting aside their differences to make way for a better future.

Even though she was terrified, she couldn’t help but be excited too.

“As the chosen leader of Iwagakure, as your Tsuchikage, I hereby claim the right to be the first to sign this treaty of peace.” Onoki announced. From there, he handed the pen and paper to Satomi.

“As the chosen leader of Plains, I, Satomi, announce my village’s agreement to ally with the world under this treaty of peace.”

From there, the pen passed to Kakashi, who somehow looked more nervous than Sakura did.

“As Konoha’s ambassador, until such time as she can sign it herself, I sign this treaty of peace as proxy to the Hokage Tsunade.” 

Three signatures. Three villages who had already agreed to the draft that she had been working on for months now. Three down...probably another dozen to go.

But it was a start. It was a start for peace, and whether or not any other village joined in, she had already made a difference by helping Iwa and Konoha formally come to peace with each other. With the signatures on the draft, it helped put a bit of her mind at ease. Now all that was left was to enjoy the festival for the rest of the night, until she and Gaara departed for Waterfall the next day.

The future was coming, she told herself. A world of peace and happiness. A world without Akatsuki. 

She could only hope this optimism would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((As of today, I'm officially closing the survey for the special intermission chapter. I was overwhelmed by the amount of votes! Right now, there are two characters who are definitively holding the top two slots for the special intermission chapter...and there are three further characters who are tied for third place. After the amount of votes I've gotten for this, it's clear to me that you guys REALLY want to hear from these characters...so I've made the decision to do the top five characters instead of the top three. That'll mean a particularly packed intermission chapter for you guys in the future!
> 
> I'll let it be a surprise which characters these five are, but as a teaser I will let you know which character held the highest amount of votes, mostly because it was very surprising to me! I'm very intrigued that Kisame is such an overwhelming fan favorite, but also super pleased...I have plans for him in the far future of this series, and I suppose this is a perfect opportunity for me to foreshadow it. ;)
> 
> Thanks again for voting, and for being such a supportive batch of readers!))


	31. Chapter 31

_ First Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact: _ _   
_ _ All villages who henceforth sign this agreement are to be considered equal, regardless of size, economic status, and military strength. _

 

Shinobi equipment, check.

Several months of aiding the Tsuchikage and taking odd jobs around the village had filled her wallet enough to invest in some higher quality supplies. No longer was she carrying shabby, second-rate kunai that she’d only barely been able to afford on a genin salary. Now her kunai were made of rare Iwa iron, sharp enough that she’d nicked herself on accident just handling the damn things. Explosive tags? Hundreds. Storage scrolls? Enough that she probably needed a storage scroll just to put her scrolls in. Medical supplies, food pills, rations, traps, and finally, the most important part…

The signed draft of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact.

Sakura kept this draft in a sealing scroll. She kept  _ that _ scroll in another sealing scroll that required her blood to unlock, and  _ that _ scroll was kept in the inner pocket of her jacket, where no one could swipe it from her. There were extra copies of the draft, of course, but this was  _ the _ signed copy, the important one that she’d be carrying with her from village to village. If anything happened to it...well, it would be a pain to get it all signed again, and Sakura was trying to avoid pain as much as possible for this journey.

All of this gear had to be contained on her person, and though most of the gear could be kept in sealing scrolls for when it was needed, the majority of her new weaponry had to be immediately accessible. Sakura had never had so many sharp objects in her  _ life _ , let alone within her arms’ reach at all times. Kurotsuchi had walked her through places to conceal shuriken and kunai, from simple belt pouches to small slings hidden on the back straps of her  _ bra _ . She was a diplomat now, Kurotsuchi had insisted, and a woman on top of that, which meant she had to be armed and ready for the worst at all times. Sakura would make enemies. There would be people who who try to take advantage of her. As a shinobi, Sakura had known this, but never in a million years would she ever have been  _ this _ prepared without Kurotsuchi’s help.

(She’d later give a side-eye to Kakashi, who really should have emphasized this with  _ all _ of Team Seven. But, she supposed, out of the powerhouses that made up Team Seven, she probably was the only one who really  _ needed _ to be paranoid. No one was stupid enough to sneak up on an Uchiha or a Jinchuuriki.)

The winter months had long faded into spring, with a hint of summer on the horizon. Sakura had long since given up her thick winter coat. Initially she had settled back into her usual cheongsam, but Kurotsuchi had once again stepped in to provide advice. A kunoichi could look fashionable, she insisted, but still practical. A typical civilian cheongsam had no pockets or concealments to store anything useful. There was nothing in the fabric that provided any sort of defense against the elements or against enemy blades. It was better for a shinobi to avoid taking hits to begin with, but in case of emergency, it was better to have something more protective. 

Thankfully, Kurotsuchi had said with a grin, Sakura had ended up in the right place. Iwa, more so than perhaps any other shinobi village, was prized for its metalwork and armor. 

There were a plethora of blacksmiths and weavers in the village to choose from, and it hadn’t taken long at all before Sakura was able to commission something to her liking. One armourer specialized in an extremely lightweight chainmail, not something that would save her from crushing blows or high-powered ninjutsu, but would deflect most common kunai and shuriken. Sakura could layer a more customized cheongsam over the mail, and if she coupled that with a pocketed vest, she gained a look that was one part fashionable and several parts practical.

(Sakura couldn’t  _ wait _ to see the look on Ino’s face when she next reached Konoha.) 

Sakura was also encouraged to invest in shin guards and arm bracers. The last thing Sakura wanted was to lose a hand or a leg in battle, even if she’d seen a legless Iwa jounin pull off some pretty impressive jutsu. Better safe than sorry was the motto, and by the time Sakura had settled on her new choice in attire, she had to admit that she looked far more like a warrior than the young girl who had snuck away from her village home. Maybe even like someone that the other village leaders would take seriously.

The other leaders…

Sakura swallowed hard as she finished checking her apartment. Really, she was just stalling. She’d gotten so used to living in Iwa that she wasn’t quite sure she  _ wanted _ to leave. Iwa was comfortable. Iwa could be a  _ home _ , much like…

Much like Konoha had been a home.

But it was easy to get attached to somewhere stable. Easy to get attached to people who treated you with respect and assumed you were every bit as strong as they were. Easy to get attached to somewhere with a  _ bed _ .

There was absolutely nothing more for her to pack, however. The apartment was as empty as when she first arrived in Iwa.

She made her way to the bathroom mirror, fiddling with her hair in an attempt to get herself another couple minutes. Her hand briefly brushed against the red ribbon holding her hair up...Ino’s ribbon. Ever since she’d left behind her Konoha headband, she’d been using the ribbon to keep her hair out of her eyes, but there was also a large bit of sentiment behind it. It was Ino, long before anyone else, who had seen potential in her. Ino who had helped her to find confidence.

In a strange way, looking at the ribbon helped steady her nerves. Even if she was heading into the unknown...people believed in her. She could be confident. She could be strong. She was a kunoichi, and she was going to work to unite the shinobi nations. 

Sakura took a deep breath and made her way out of the apartment. 

She would be taking a side road through one of the surrounding mountains, putting her on a path straight to the Village Hidden in Waterfalls. Takigakure. It was a small village, but it supposedly housed the Jinchuuriki of the Seven-Tailed Beast, which meant that Sakura had double the invested interest in going there. She needed to convince the leader of the village to sign the treaty, and she needed to meet with the Jinchuuriki...or at least let Gaara meet with them. Gaara had made friends with the Iwa Jinchuuriki surprisingly easy. Perhaps Jinchuuriki just...understood each other best. 

That was right, she reminded herself. This wasn’t just her own mission. This wasn’t just about the neutrality pact. She was also helping Gaara learn about himself and meet others like him. She was helping him get out of his shell. Already the boy was almost unrecognizable from the boy she’d seen at the chuunin exams all those months ago. He seemed to be smiling all the time, he talked with her more than ever, and, though Sakura supposed this was half due to Iwa not knowing Gaara was a Jinchuuriki, he had even gathered enough confidence to speak with Iwa residents when the need arrived. She wasn’t the only one who had grown out here in Iwa. Gaara, too…

She caught sight of him as she made her way to the side road Onoki told her about. He was still wearing the long, brown coat he’d gotten on the way up the mountain, and it appeared as though his sand ‘gourd’ had been permanently changed into a sand ‘scroll’. Anyone outside of Suna or Konoha would be hard pressed to recognize the sullen Ichibi Jinchuuriki at this point, and Sakura was counting on it. 

Several others were also waiting at the village exit. Sai in particular looked ready to go, and Kakashi had brought a small backpack. Konoha would be her next stop after Taki, so it made sense to travel together. Not that she didn’t feel safe traveling just with Gaara, but having the Anbu and her old jounin sensei on her team was just extra safety, and there wasn’t anything wrong with that. 

A smile came to her face as she saw Onoki and several other Iwa shinobi waiting at the exit as well. Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi...even Han and Roshi had gathered by Gaara, with the latter ruffling the boy’s hair roughly as they exchanged words. 

Sakura focused on this. Focused on Onoki’s grandfatherly smile, Kurotsuchi’s proud stance, the way Han and Roshi fathered over Gaara. Every village she would be going to was full of people like these, people with families, with dreams, with fears... _ people _ . Not just the legends she read in her history book. 

She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to be apprehensive of the future. Now was the time for a bittersweet goodbye.

“Remember every damn thing I taught you, girl.” Onoki insisted as he looked her up and down. “Innovation before strength. Every shinobi can throw a shuriken or swing a sword, but you’ve got a brain. Use it!”

“Yes, sensei!” Sakura gave Onoki a respectful nod. 

“And make sure you remember the differences between mountain terrain and-”

“Lord Tsuchikage, I’m sure Sakura doesn’t need reminding.” Kurotsuchi stepped in, shaking her head. “You drilled earth layers into her head for four weeks straight, remember?” 

“And she’d damn well better remember them!”

“I will, sensei, I promise.” Sakura bowed. “And I look forward to sending you the good news as everyone else sees the treaty.”

“That’s my girl.” Onoki grinned, and that was that. Goodbyes were said, and before long Sakura was walking through the mountain tunnel and on her way out of Iwa.

 

-

 

“I spy with my little eye, something that starts with ‘g’.”

It was quiet for a while, before Gaara finally spoke up. “Grass.”

“Nope.”

“Kakashi-sensei?”

Sakura had never seen the jounin look so annoyed in all her time knowing him. It was clear he wasn’t used to playing traveling games, but she wasn’t going to stop. Gaara enjoyed them. 

(And maybe she got a mischievous sense of satisfaction seeing her sensei forced to play along.)

“Ground.” Kakashi mumbled.

“Nope.”

“You’re all horribly blind.” Sai spoke up, fake smile wide on his face. “It’s obviously granite. It’s what’s making up several of the nearby rock formations.”

“Got it!” Sakura gave Sai a big smile in turn. “That’s seven points to Sai, five points to Gaara, and...one point for Kakashi?”

“Is this really what you were doing the entire way from Suna to Iwa?” Kakashi asked. 

“It’s not the only thing I’m doing.” Sakura admitted. “I’m attempting to master my sensing jutsu while my mind is otherwise occupied. A good shinob is able to maintain their guard while distracted by mundane conversation, right?”

“You know, I know I  _ told _ you that, my darling student, but you could stand to pick something less mundane.” Kakashi muttered, pulling out one of his many smutty books as they walked. “Like...where you found the scroll you learned that sensing jutsu from.”

“I told you.” Sakura said innocently. “I just...found it. You can just find things.”

“Ah yes. You just found a scroll with several S-ranked jutsu just lying around, unsupervised, unguarded…”

Sakura frowned. Kakashi was getting way too close to the truth. There was a part of her that wanted to come clean about the scroll, (maybe Kakashi could secretly return it without causing a fuss?), but damn it all she’d worked  _ hard _ for that scroll and she still hadn’t learned everything in it yet. And it was entirely possible Kakashi or Sai could use the scroll against her and the neutrality project, could claim that a thief shouldn’t be an ambassador...but Sakura just couldn’t bring herself to lie about where she found it. She felt as though Kakashi would see right through anything she came up with. 

Thankfully, before Kakashi could interrogate her further, the path wound its way past the walls of mountain and suddenly a clear view stood out in the distance. 

The ocean.

Sakura had known they were on the northern end of Iwa territory, but she hadn’t expected to travel so close to the sea. She hadn’t seen the ocean since the Land of Waves, a time that...suddenly seemed much longer ago than she used to picture it. The ocean to the south had been cold, covered in fog, almost dreary. The ocean out here...well, it was still cold  _ out _ , but with the sun reflecting on the waves and the bright blue sky above it...there was something warm about how the view looked. Something that made Sakura want to run down the mountain to the water’s edge.

And she wasn’t the only one, by the look of it. She felt movement next to her, and when she turned she saw Gaara looking out to the ocean, his eyes wider than she’d ever seen.

“Gaara, have you...never seen the ocean?”

“He’s from Suna.” Sai retorted. “Of course he hasn’t. Suna land barely borders the ocean at all.”

“It’s...big.”

Gaara leaped onto the rocks in front of him, squinting as he tried to look to the distance. “Really big.”

“Nobody’s ever crossed it.” Sakura commented, leaping up to join Gaara. “Every now and then, supposedly a boat tries, but it’s never heard from again.” She laughed. “Some people think the world is flat and that’s where it ends, so the boats have just fallen off.”

“Flat?” Gaara looked to Sakura, puzzled. “But if it was flat, wouldn’t we be able to see the end of it from here?”

“Hey, I never said some people weren’t idiots.”

“It’s more likely that the ocean is too vast for our ships to cross at this point in time.” Sai added, leaping up to the rock as well. “The further one goes out into the ocean, the larger the waves become. Simple wooden ships can barely manage.”

“It’s that large…” Gaara looked back to the ocean. “There could be...a whole continent on the other side. People who’ve never heard of shinobi or...Jinchuuriki, or anything like that.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Sakura admitted. “Do you think they could still use chakra like we do? Maybe there’s a completely different style of jutsu that we can’t even dream of!” 

“Or maybe they can’t use chakra at all.” Sai countered. “An entire continent of useless civilians.”

Sakura frowned before punching Sai in the arm. “My parents are civilians, thank you very much, and they’re not  _ useless _ . Who do you think builds all the houses in Konoha? Works out all the plumbing? Does all the farming?  _ Shinobi _ are too high and mighty for all that, after all.”

“Hmm...perhaps so. But civilians wouldn’t be alive without shinobi to protect them.”

“And shinobi wouldn’t be alive if civilians weren’t around to do all the work that the shinobi won’t!”

“Symbiosis.” Gaara suddenly commented. “Neither can live without the other.” 

“Exactly.” Sakura grinned. “And if anyone tries to call civilians useless again, I’ll throw them into the ocean!” 

She was pleased to see Sai’s fake smile falter a little bit. “Ah, you know, I’ve changed my mind. You’re not really the ‘ugly’ type, Sakura. From now on, you’re ‘Scary’.”

Sakura couldn’t help but be pleased with  _ that _ new nickname. 

Gaara was still looking out to the ocean, so Sakura decided to let him have a moment of peace. She turned, meaning to jump down, when she caught sight of Kakashi.

He looked...well the only way she could describe it was  _ sentimental _ . Like he was watching a scene that reminded him of something, something he hadn’t seen in a long time. A brief look of confusion passed over her before she looked back to Gaara and Sai. 

And then  _ she _ saw it too. A Jinchuuriki boy, used to being alone, wide-eyed with wonder at the new world around him that he’d never seen before. A withdrawn, dark-haired boy with a troubled past, brash, sometimes a bit rude…

Was Kakashi seeing Team Seven too, when he looked at the three of them? 

It was...a strange sentiment to consider, albeit a pointless one. Maybe Gaara would be sticking around with her for the future, but Sai would be returning to Konoha at first opportunity. They weren’t a team. Just travelers going in the same direction.

But Sakura couldn’t deny that the idea of a ‘Team’ still appealed to her. No matter how hard she tried to focus on the new future she was carving for herself, every now and then her thoughts would return to Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto…

He’d returned her letters with great enthusiasm, though his handwriting had left a lot to be desired. She’d been surprised to hear that he was studying under Tsunade. It was hard to imagine the blonde having the patience for anything that didn’t involve a fist fight, but by the sound of things Tsunade had somehow managed to get him involved in bookwork and village politics. 

It would be good for him, Sakura thought with a smile. A Hokage would need to be able to excel in all parts of leading a village, not just defending it. And Tsunade was smart enough that Sakura knew she’d teach Naruto well. If anything, Naruto was in the best place he could possibly be.

And he was so damn  _ supportive _ .

She’d worried that he’d be angry with her for leaving Konoha, like Sasuke had, but nothing in his letters seemed to show anything but support. He seemed enthusiastic at the prospect of the villages coming together, and even more excited when he’d heard that she was training under the Tsuchikage.

_ “When you come back to Konoha, let’s spar and see how strong we’ve gotten, okay?” _

Sakura gripped at her necklace tightly, trying her best not to get emotional. They were out traveling, she could afford to let her feelings slow them down. The Jashin necklace had become a weird sort of comfort to her during her time at Iwa. (Maybe that weird Akatsuki member had been onto something? ...no, she didn’t want to admit, or maybe she  _ couldn’t _ .) It wasn’t unusual for her to  _ get _ emotional, but lately she’d found herself getting embarrassed over it. All of the other women shinobi she knew were so calm and composed...and here she was getting weepy over the fact that  _ Naruto _ wanted to spar with her, see how  _ strong _ she’d gotten.

_ Naruto thought of her as an equal _ .

And maybe he’d said praises about her before, it was nothing like that letter had suggested. A spar wasn’t something Naruto would ask because he had a crush on her or wanted to garner her affection. Naruto had only ever asked to spar with Sasuke before, because Sasuke was his rival, Sasuke was someone who could  _ challenge _ him. But with one written sentence, suddenly Sakura was on his level too. Suddenly Sakura could be a  _ challenge _ .

She wondered what Sasuke would think of her now. Would he still see her as an annoyance? Or would he…

Huh, how strange. Her first thought wasn’t about him wanting to date her, but whether or not he’d want to  _ fight _ her.

“Sakura?” 

Gaara put a hand on her shoulder, jolting her out of her thoughts. She forced a smile.

“I’m fine, Gaara. Just thinking, that’s all. The ocean sort of brought back some memories.”

“Good ones?”

Sakura blinked. Gaara was smiling at her, something that still occasionally brought her pause. These past months...they’d really changed both of them. She continued to smile as she spoke.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

She glanced over to Kakashi, who’d put on a smile of his own, all traces of that sentimental gaze gone. “Shall we get a move on? We’ve still got a ways to go before we reach Taki.” 

“Especially if we stop to sight-see every mile.” Sai added dryly. Sakura gently punched him again.

“Oh, poo on you, Sai. Now I’m gonna make sure we stop every mile to look at something.” She slid back down the rock onto the path, looking around briefly. “Alright, this time...Gaara, you pick things for us to spy, alright?”

“Right.” Gaara nodded.

They began to walk again, Gaara mulling over his ‘i-spy’ choice. Out of habit, Sakura put her hands together and let out a sensing pulse. It wasn’t as though she expected to find anyone out here, but every bit of practice mattered. Her energy seemed to spread out around her in a wave, pinging around trees and rocks and…

And…

Sakura froze. There, in a tree in the distance…

That was a  _ chakra signature _ .

Her head shot in the direction of the tree, attempting to see just exactly who it was that had gotten on her radar. For a brief moment, so brief she might have imagined it, she saw a figure buried within the bark of the tree. 

Half black skin, half white skin, strange plant-like growths around him…

Her hand instinctively went to a kunai at her hip, and next to her she felt all three of her companions shift into a defensive stance. But before she could do anything, the figure melted away into tree. Sakura sent out another sensing pulse.

Nothing.

It was like nobody had been there at all.

“Sakura?”

“Gaara...everyone…” Sakura swallowed, drawing her kunai despite the fact that she could no longer sense the figure. “...keep an eye on the trees, will you? I might have imagined it, but…”

But how could she have imagined something so strange?

Her free hand went to her necklace again. She was in new territory now, and who knew what sort of strange shinobi lived out here. Still, there was something about the man that had given her a distinct sense of unease. Something about the chakra, something about it that…

She paused.

The chakra…

It hadn’t had  _ any _ nature at all, when she had sensed it. It was like the energy had been completely blank.

Sakura reached out to take hold of Gaara’s hand. Whoever it was, whoever it had been…

She had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time she saw them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I apologize for the delay in chapter updates; threw out my back last week and that tends to put a damper on one's desire to write. But I'm doing much better now, and with the holidays fast approaching I'll have a lot more free time to write! Maybe I'll even have a second update for you all this weekend. >)
> 
> The next update will actually be the Fan-Voted Intermission chapter! Look forward to seeing POVs from characters you all voted on and wanted to see!))


	32. Other Worlds, Other Minds (Intermission Part Six)

“Focus now. Create a clear image in your mind of what you want to show me. Think of each individual detail. Think of sounds, of scents, of anything that your mind can remember.”

Ino pictured a flower. It was easy to focus on flowers. She’d worked in her mother’s flower shop since she was a young girl, and the names and properties of various plants came as naturally to her as breathing. And maybe it was because she’d recently received a letter from Sakura, but her mind drifted to the image of a cherry blossom tree that she often saw on the other side of the village. It had just started to bloom, several small flowers on a tree with a vast trunk and branches that reached into the skies themself. She let the image in her mind expand to include the entire tree. If she could convey this entirely, it would be impressive, wouldn’t it? Something she could use to  _ wow  _ Naruto and Chouji, maybe even get a change in expression from Shikamaru, and when Sakura returned, she just  _ knew _ this would prove her to be the stronger kunoichi. What other clan than the Yamanakas had a  _ telepathy _ technique? It was something Sakura would  _ never _ be able to copy.

“I’m ready.”

“Good.” Her father’s voice echoed over her image of the cherry blossom tree. “Now, make the hand sign. Reach out with your mind to touch my own.”

Ino did so. This technique was different than the Mind Transfer technique. She wasn’t pushing her mental energy from her body in full, she was only really transferring a little piece of it. Her father likened it to a glass of water. She wasn’t pouring out the entire glass, but letting a single drop fall from the rim. Just the image. Just the picture of a cherry blossom tree, just starting to bloom, beautiful and strong, like  _ her _ …

“Is it...a tree?”

Ino grinned. It was  _ working _ , she was really doing it!

“Like...an oak tree? Something big, I can’t really make out more…”

“Crap!” Ino cursed, her technique breaking as she did so. She’d gotten the tree part across, but not the flower? It was the first damn thing she’d thought of! “It was a cherry blossom, Dad! Cherry blossom!”

“Oh! Well, you managed to get the branches across, I think.” Her father laughed. “And to be honest, you’re much further along than I was at your age. You might be able to get a full image by the end of the year!”

“I need to do it  _ quicker _ if I’m going to keep up with Sakura, Dad!” Ino protested with a huff. “Sakura’s training under the  _ Tsuchikage _ , she’s probably learning all sorts of cool jutsu that’ll blow people away, and I can’t even get more than  _ one _ clan technique down!” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and concentrating again. “One more time, this time I know I can do it.”

She missed the softened look on her father’s face, and the smile that came to it. “One more time.” He agreed.

One more time turned into a dozen, until Ino felt the strain of chakra exhaustion begin to work its way through her body. She’d heard stories, of course, of how the Yamanaka had been able to transfer information across the battlefield in the blink of an eye, keeping squads connected through the sheer telepathic power of their chakra. If she’d been able to do this sort of thing at the chuunin exams…

Well, it wouldn’t have helped her beat Sakura, no, but maybe it could be a stepping stone for something even  _ greater _ , something that would let her kick Sakura’s ass and win the heart of…

Ino hesitated.

Mentioning Sasuke in the village had become something of a taboo. The majority of the villagers spoke the Uchiha name with either scorn or a pity that resembled grieving. Grieving for what was. Grieving for the fall of the two brothers who had been the pride and joy of one of the village’s founding clans. And Ino knew especially not to mention Sasuke around Naruto, not unless she wanted to see the blonde fall into a slump for the rest of the day. 

Maybe once she’d thought Sasuke handsome, desirable, but now, after seeing the fallout from his leaving, even her past crush seemed soured. 

She hit the point where her father insisted she take a break, so Ino made her way out into the village for a walk. Perhaps she was just moping, but...well, it was only a matter of time before she mastered that damn technique. And then, bigger and better things, just like Naruto was always talking about.

And speaking of…

It was supposed to be Team Asuma’s day off, but as Ino walked by Training Ground Twelve, she noticed a familiar shock of orange and blonde hair lying in the grass. Amused, Ino made her way over to kneel at Naruto’s side. Sleeping like a baby. It was easy to overlook how hard the Uzumaki had been working since he’d joined up with Team Asuma. Training under Tsunade  _ and _ Jiraiya, and going out on missions on top of that. 

Compared to him, Ino’s training was barely  _ anything _ .

“...hey, Naruto.” Ino poked at the boy’s forehead. “It’s not good to sleep in the grass for so long, you know? You’ll end up like Shikamaru.”

“Mmm…’no, five more minutes…”

“Idiot.” Ino lightly rapped Naruto with her knuckles. “Wouldn’t you prefer to be in a bed?”

“Bed? But I... _ oh _ !” Naruto suddenly shot forward, his hair and jacket covered in grass. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was training! Training, I promise!”

Ino couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, come on, Naruto, I’m not gonna tell Jiraiya you were sleeping. But this is supposed to be our day off, you know. What were you even practicing?”

“I...wasn’t practicing anything, actually.” Naruto admitted. “Not really. I actually...uh, Ino, can you keep a secret?”

Ino smirked. Naruto, keeping secrets? How incredibly unlike him. She leaned in, her smirk growing mischievous. “Wait, don’t tell me...are you training to impress a  _ girl _ , Naruto?”

“N-no, not like that! I mean-” Naruto blushed. “I mean it’d be really cool if I could show off to Sakura next time I see her, but this is something different. But...well, I don’t really know if I’m supposed to tell you the secret. It’s so secret that nobody else our age knows besides Sakura, I’m pretty sure.”

“ _ That _ secret? Now I really want to know.” Ino kept leaning in, now more eager than ever. “Come on, I can keep a secret, you can tell me. Tell me,  _ tell _ me!” 

“...but you might not like me anymore if I tell you.” 

Ino froze. Not...like him anymore? Well, Naruto could be a bit of a dolt at times, but what could Naruto have possibly done that would have-

“I...I have the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside of me, Ino.” 

“W-what? You’re joking, Naruto, how could you…”

Naruto was known for pranking, wasn’t he? This was just some silly prank, it had to be. But the way Naruto was looking at her, desperate, worried, looking scared enough that he almost looked  _ sick _ …

The Nine-Tailed Fox…

She didn’t have any memories of the day when the Fox had attacked the village. She hadn’t even been a month old. But the stories...she’d heard the stories. Stories about how the monster had killed so many shinobi and civilians, how it was only due to the Fourth Hokage that the village survived at  _ all _ .

And Naruto was...containing it? 

“So...it’s like how Gaara is?”

Ino found that she wasn’t exactly scared to hear about Naruto having a demon inside of him. Sakura had been traveling with that scary Suna shinobi for months now, and the way she wrote about Gaara it was like the two had been friends all their life. 

It made sense now, though, why Sakura had suddenly become so interested in Jinchuuriki. Her  _ teammate _ was one, it was  _ stupid _ that she hadn’t seen it earlier. The way Naruto had trounced Neji Hyuuga at the chunin exams, the way he seemed to have such boundless energy in their missions...all that chakra had to come from somewhere, and of  _ course _ it would come from a Bijuu.

“Sakura said Gaara has a Bijuu inside him too. I think she calls it Shukaku?” Ino explained, laughing nervously. “I mean, I don’t really know that much about it, but you’re nowhere near as scary as Gaara so I don’t think I have anything to worry about. Maybe you have the Fox, but you’re still a dork that falls asleep in the grass and won’t eat anything but ramen unless I drag him to the grocery store.” 

“You...you really mean it, Ino?”

Naruto looked hopeful now, and Ino hadn’t realized just how much it meant to him that she...what, not freak out? It wasn’t as though he’d given her a reason too. Naruto wasn’t a killer, not like Gaara had been. Naruto was just…

Naruto.

Not a Fox. Not a demon. Just regular, old Naruto.

“Yeah I mean it.” Ino reached out to knock her knuckles against Naruto’s head again. “And you know, Shikamaru and Chouji won’t care about anything like that either.” 

It was starting to make sense now, why the adults always seemed to hate Naruto so much. Ino had thought it was because the boy was a prankster, but...if all people saw was the Fox, every time they looked at him, then…

She thought of how Sakura was, back when she let her hair cover her eyes and was so shy that she could barely speak up for herself. But as soon as she’d started to tie her hair back and show off her face, she’d started to grow more confident…

No, no, that...that hadn’t been it. It wasn’t just the ribbon.

It’d been  _ her _ .

Ino had been the one to acknowledge her. To be her first friend. Ino had been the one to help her come out of her shell.

But if she hadn’t gone to Sakura that day, if she hadn’t helped her out...what kind of person would Sakura have become?

If Naruto didn’t have friends...would he have been more like Gaara? 

Suddenly, Ino felt mad. Mad at the village for shunning Naruto in such a way. Mad that they’d almost made a monster out of Naruto, monster within him notwithstanding. 

“I...guess I kind of expected you to freak out more.”

Ino snapped back to the present. Naruto was talking again. “I mean, the way everyone else in the village looks at me, I figured it was luck I found people who were willing to be my friend at all, you know?”

“Wrong.” Ino retorted. “It’s not like the Fox is breaking out any time soon, right? And I don’t have a problem with  _ you _ . You work harder than Shikamaru and Chouji  _ combined _ , and if you’re on our team next time we’re in the chuunin exams, we’re gonna breeze right through to the finals.”

“Wait, you mean...you  _ want _ me on your team for the exams?”

“Duh.”

“Oh. Well. O-okay, I’ll do my best!” Naruto put up a fist, and there it was, that fire in his eyes that Ino had gotten used to seeing. “You know I’ll kick serious ass, you can count on me! Believe it!” 

“Yeah, yeah, but you still haven’t told me why you were training out here.” Ino reminded him. “Something to do with the Fox?”

“Uh-huh. Well...you see, Gaara sent me a letter recently talking about Shukaku, and...well, he apparently  _ talks _ with Shukaku a lot so I figured maybe  _ I _ could try and talk to the Fox, but he never wants to talk to me. He’s always either pretending to be asleep or griping about how annoying I am.” 

“What do you think you’ll get by  _ talking _ to him?” Ino asked, baffled. “He tried to destroy the village, of course he’s gonna be all scary and angry all the time!”

“Well, Shukaku was like that too, but Gaara said he’s been more friendly since they started talking!” Naruto protested. “I wondered if maybe...if maybe the Fox has been alone all this time and wants a friend too.”

It was...bafflingly naive, but Ino couldn’t fault the logic. And the sympathy behind it. Maybe, in a strange way, Naruto was starting to see himself in the Fox.

It gave her an idea. A stupid idea. An idea so hilariously stupid that her father would have grounded her for a year if he ever heard her  _ considering _ an idea so stupid.

“What if…”

_ No, Ino, don’t do it. Too stupid, too risky… _

“What if...I tried to talk to him?”

“What?” Naruto blinked. “How the heck are you gonna talk to him? He’s inside  _ me _ !”

“Don’t you remember who I  _ am _ , Naruto?” Ino scoffed. “I’m the beautiful and powerful heir to the Yamanaka Clan! And you remember our signature technique, don’t you?”

“The...Mind-Transfer Jutsu?” Naruto frowned as he thought. “So you’re saying you want to get in my head so that you can talk to the Fox? But why would you want to do that?”

_ Because I’m an idiot way in over her head. _

_ But damn it all if I’m not curious. _

“Maybe he’ll be more receptive if he talks to someone pretty like me!” Ino offered with a gesture. “After all, Naruto, boys like you are disasters when it comes to saying the right thing, you know. Plus...it might not even work.” It was possible her jutsu wouldn’t be able to breach the seal that had been put on the beast; after all, what sort of seal would it be if a Yamanaka could tear it apart from the inside? But it was worth a shot, she supposed, if only to say that it wasn’t possible. And if it  _ did _ work…

Well then she’d be able to help Naruto out. And maybe even learn something about the Fox that she could hold over Sakura whenever she decided to get her butt back to Konoha.

“Can you hold still for about five seconds?”

“Yeah sure, Ino, but are you  _ really _ sure you want to do this?”

“Nope.” Ino retorted with a grin. “So let’s give it a go!” 

Before Naruto could talk her out of it, Ino concentrated and made the hand sign she needed. She felt a rush of weightlessness as her mental energy was shot from her body, and time seemed to slow down, second by second, until she felt herself crash into Naruto.

And then everything went dark.

In a vague sense, she was aware of Naruto’s body. Perhaps could even control it if she really focused. But the dark room that had grown around her was taking precedence, until eventually all she could see was the room itself, and nothing of Naruto at all.

But she did  _ hear _ something.

Breathing. Heavy, deep breathing that seemed to fill wherever it was she had ended up. She could almost  _ feel _ the air pushing against her. 

And then, all at once, an eye appeared before her, blinking open and glowing with unnatural chakra. 

**“Oh look. A new snack** . **”**

Ino awoke back in her body with a scream. 

That thing...that thing had been  _ huge _ .

_ How the hell did the Fourth manage to seal something like that inside of a boy? _

She heard a groan as Naruto came back into consciousness, and she had to do her best to hide the panic that had overtaken her body. Naruto  _ wasn’t _ the Fox, she reminded herself. Just...just a container. Just Naruto, Naruto who helped her keep Shikamaru and Chouji in line, Naruto who had taken a shuriken to the chest in her place on the last mission, Naruto who had...who  _ was _ her teammate. Who would still  _ be _ her teammate.

“Did it work?” Naruto asked? “Everything went black for a minute, but I don’t remember anything else.”

Ino took a deep breath before nodding. “It worked.” She told him. “It worked. I saw it.”

And next time…

Next time she wasn’t running away.

  
  


-

  
  


He’d said it before and he’d say it again.

Girls were  _ troublesome _ .

Initially Shikamaru had thought it was simply a clash of personalities. The girls he knew, with perhaps the exception of one Hinata Hyuuga, were boisterous, egotistical, loud, and  _ bossy _ . And Shikamaru wasn’t exactly one to want to boss people around himself, but really, that didn’t mean  _ others _ had to be so commanding, and that other usually happened to be a  _ girl. _

But this, what he had in his hands right now…

This was a whole new  _ level _ of troublesome. And it began with ‘ _ Dear Shikamaru _ ’.

He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve the letter. He barely even  _ knew _ Sakura, short of the ramblings that Ino tended to default too whenever anyone dared mention the sheer concept of Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura was  _ Ino’s _ rival in love,  _ Ino’s _ rival in skill, and...well, he supposed she  _ was _ Naruto’s old teammate, and Naruto did talk about her a lot, but that had nothing to do with  _ him _ . He could count the number of times he’d spoken to her on one hand. He couldn’t logically consider a friend, just an acquaintance at best, nothing to justify this stupid  _ letter _ .

And of course, because  _ clearly _ he’d done something truly horrible in a past life to justify this, the majority of the damn letter was written in some sort of  _ code _ .

(And damn her, now his curiosity meant he  _ had _ to solve it.)

Only the first sentence was immediately legible. ‘Dear Shikamaru, for your eyes only, for the sake of our friends’. Ominous, vague, and irritating. And then, oh then, came the code.

IYa-2-4-13-4. IYa-1-1-4-5. NaU-1-3-15-4. RiRo-4-6-11-2. 

The code was full of sequences like these, and it went on and on for an entire  _ scroll _ . Sakura must have spent hours putting this together, and then she’d had the audacity to put it behind a code that  _ nobody in the entire goddamn village knew _ . It wasn’t a typical Konoha code. As far as he could tell, it wasn’t anything the  _ Anbu _ used either, and how would Sakura have gotten her hands on something like that anyway? For a brief moment, Shikamaru considered that it might be an Iwa code, since Sakura had been supposedly training there, but there was no way he could crack an  _ Iwa _ code, was there? 

And then she had to go and say that whatever the hell she’d written in here had been for the sake of ‘their friends’. Which meant she clearly thought it was important. Which meant that Shikamaru couldn’t just throw the damn letter into a ditch and forget about it.

IYa. NaU. RiRo. Each of the sequences began with one of those three character combinations. If he could just figure out what they  _ meant _ . 

Shikamaru groaned as he trudged across the Konoha training grounds. He’d been mulling over the letter for three days now, trying to piece together the contents within. And he was  _ stuck _ .

And he was starting to kind of hate being stuck.

But what he  _ did _ know was that he didn’t know enough about Sakura Haruno. And there were two immediate people in his life who did. 

Ino, he didn’t feel like bothering on a day off, but he could  _ always _ count on Naruto to be training even when the idiot was supposed to be resting. It was just a matter of finding out which training ground they were…

Ah. And... _ oh _ .

There was Naruto. And Ino. Oh god, they weren’t making out, were they? No...no it looked like they were doing something else. Ino was...gesturing. Was that the Mind Transfer Jutsu? 

He watched as both Ino and Naruto slumped into the grass. And...Naruto didn’t get up. It looked as though the jutsu had worked, so why wasn’t Ino controlling Naruto? 

_ Why the hell was everyone around him so  _ **_weird_ ** _? _

Eventually, Ino awoke, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes as she pulled herself back into a sitting position. Not long after, Naruto awoke as well. They both looked at each other, and then began to talk excitedly.

What the hell?

Shikamaru resisted the urge to groan as he approached the two, scroll clenched in one hand. 

“Should I even bother asking what you’re doing?”

“Oh! Shikamaru!” Ino startled. “Um, well...Naruto, you can tell him! If...if you want. I mean…”

“Nothing!” Naruto shook his head. “We’re just screwing around. It’s our day off, ya know?”

“Screwing around with...Mind Transfer Jutsu?”

“Uh…”

Shikamaru sighed. Alright, maybe he really  _ shouldn’t _ want to know, but...now he sort of had to. “Is it something that’s going to get one of you killed?”

“That’s a big question with a lot of answers.” Ino replied with a small laugh. “But it  _ shouldn’t _ kill us. Oh, come  _ on _ , Naruto, I told you he isn’t going to care, just  _ tell him _ .”

“You tell him if you’re so eager!”

“Okay!” Ino brightened up. “We’re talking with the Nine-Tailed Fox!”

...there was far too much to process in that statement. Far,  _ far _ too much. Never mind that such a statement suggested that the Nine-Tailed Fox was sentient enough to hold a conversation, never mind the implication that the Nine-Tailed Fox was somewhere close enough to  _ talk _ to, never mind that talking with it somehow involved the…

Shikamaru could have slapped himself. Of  _ course _ Naruto was a goddamn Jinchuuriki. He should have seen it sooner. Take the most troublesome scenario ever and multiply it by ten, and that was his life! His new teammate was a Jinchuuriki!

“Alright, I’m going to overlook that in favor of something even more troublesome.” Shikamaru answered, not failing to notice the look of apparent relief on Naruto’s face. Had he been...worried? It wasn’t like other villages didn’t have Jinchuuriki. They were fairly standard for each of the Big Five. And he wasn’t anything like that creepy  _ Gaara _ at least. Without further ado, he shoved the scroll in Naruto’s direction. “Do you wanna tell me what the hell your old teammate is trying to tell me?”

“Huh? She sent  _ you _ a letter too?” Naruto frowned as he opened the scroll. Then, he started to laugh. “What the heck, Shikamaru, it’s all nonsense! Sakura would never have written something so weird.”

“Then it’s probably not  _ nonsense _ , Naruto. Let me look at it.”

For a while, the two squabbled over the letter, passing it back and forth to get a look. It was great, just  _ great.  _ If they didn’t have any clues off the bat, this was probably a dead end. Really, what had Sakura been  _ thinking _ ?

_ For the sake of our friends… _

Their friends.

Suddenly, all at once, it clicked.

“Wait, give that back!” Shikamaru snatched the letter from a whining Naruto, looking over the code. IYa...NaU…

Ino Yamanaka. Naruto Uzumaki. And RiRo…who else would Sakura consider a friend in the village? Kakashi’s name didn’t fit, and he was fairly certain it wasn’t a relative of Sakura’s, it had to be a friend…

Ri...Ro…

Ri... _ Lee.  _ Rock fucking Lee.

But what the  _ hell  _ did the numbers mean? 

“...Ino. Naruto. Sakura’s been writing you letters, right?”

“Uh, yeah, just not anything weird like that.” Ino answered with a frown. 

“Can I see them?”

“What? Why? Does the word  _ private _ mean anything to you?”

“I think she wanted me to see them.” Shikamaru retorted. “Ino, she’s written you...four letters so far, correct? Naruto, five for you? And...Lee should have 8, if this pattern follows.”

“What? She wrote  _ Lee _ more than me?” Both Naruto and Ino spoke in unison before looking at each other in confusion. 

“I’m not here to listen to you two bicker. I  _ need _ to see those letters. I promise I won’t need them long.”

It took some corralling, but eventually Shikamaru had access to all of Ino and Naruto’s letters. And maybe he didn’t have Lee’s but there were only twenty-six letters to the alphabet and he could probably deduce the missing ones without going to talk with the annoying jump-suit boy. 

Ino Yamanaka, letter two, paragraph four, word thirteen, fourth letter…

That one was an ‘i’.

Slowly, piece by piece, he was solving this damn thing.

 

_ “I am sorry to put you through this Shikamaru, but I cannot be too careful. There are people in the village that you cannot trust. Do not transcribe this letter to paper. I know you are smart enough to decode it in your head. You’re the smartest person I know, and that is the reason I am writing to you specifically. _

_ I need your help. There is an organization woven deep into Konoha called Root, and I have reason to believe that it is not working, as it claims, for the good of the village, but for the ambition of its leader. I believe they have kidnapped children from other villages to brainwash into perfect shinobi soldiers. I believe they perpetuated Orochimaru’s research while he was still in the village. And it’s possible there are many more dark secrets that I have yet to deduce. Most importantly, if they find out that I am writing to you about them, it is possible they might kill you. _

_ If you don’t want to involve yourself further, I understand. Burn this letter and never mention it to anyone; I’m sure Root will leave you alone. But Shikamaru, if you have an ounce of loyalty in you, to your friends, your village, your people...you need to keep reading. And you need to help me to root out Root.” _

 

...girls were so damned  _ troublesome _ .

A very large part of Shikamaru wanted to burn the letter and forget he ever read it. An organization called Root that worked within Konoha? Wouldn’t the Hokage at least know about it? He couldn’t imagine Tsunade allowing the kidnapping of foreign children for any means. He couldn’t even imagine the  _ Third _ allowing that. And that it was an organization that might have involved Orochimaru as well...what the  _ fuck _ was Sakura trying to drag him into? 

...and damn it all, if it was true, if  _ any _ of it was true, he couldn’t just sit around and  _ let it happen _ .

 

So Shikamaru made his way into the depths of the Nara forest, deeper than anyone but the clan was allowed to go. Once there, he sat down beneath the shade of his favorite tree, and began to read Sakura’s letter.

  
  


-

  
  


There was a deep wind in these woods, a howling wind that would have terrified the man if he wasn’t just a little less than human himself. 

But Orochimaru was beyond most concepts of fear by now. He had seen the depths of the darkest jutsu, lived beyond death itself, fought powers that were  _ far _ more frightening than whatever nature had to throw at him. No, rather, it was the things in the woods that fled from  _ him _ , rightfully so. He moved from branch to branch as smoothly as a snake stalking prey, and the things in the woods saw him as  _ predator.  _

Orochimaru glanced back in time to see the glimpses of his companions behind him. Kabuto had long learned the art of moving silently, but young Sasuke had yet to quite master that balance between swift and quiet. Every now and then a branch cracked, a leaf fluttered...but he was young, of course, and still leagues ahead of where even he had been at such an age. Besides, it wasn’t important now for Sasuke to be perfect, nor would it ever be.

Once Sasuke’s body was well and truly  _ his _ ...all of his decades of experience would more than suffice. 

For now, this was an experience meant to stretch the boy’s legs, but that was merely a secondary benefit to the excursion. The real reason he was here, the real reason he’d ran across Sound Country and into the unclaimed lands of the Mountain’s Graveyard, was that he was here to make a very  _ important _ transaction. 

Normally Orochimaru would have considered it foolish to step foot onto Akatsuki territory, but the majority of the organization had left the Graveyard months ago, and Orochimaru knew he had little to fear from the member he was moving to meet, as long as he and his kept civil. Kabuto, he could trust. Sasuke...this would be a test. Teenagers were notoriously difficult, and Sasuke, under the weight of trauma, could be excruciating under the wrong circumstances. Orochimaru was...mostly positive that Itachi wasn’t here, but if the Uchiha  _ did _ show up…

A dilemma he did not want to consider. A dilemma he hoped his contact had taken into account.

The trees suddenly cleared around them, and before them stretched a vast plain, dominated by the sight of one of the most massive skeletons Orochimaru had ever seen. What the animal used to be, even he hadn’t a clue. Something ancient, something old, something that predated even the eldest of his summoning snakes. At some point, when he could justify it, Orochimaru longed to get a bone sample, something he could use to try and clone one of the beasts...but for now, there wasn’t exactly room in his tiny spit of a country. 

For now, the bones were simply a landmark, somewhere easy to find so that a meeting could take place without interference. No shinobi was brave enough to come this deep into the Graveyard, not even the Taki shinobi, with all their superstition. 

“What is it?” Orochimaru heard Sasuke ask.

“Something too old for history to have remembered it.” Kabuto explained. “Judging by the structure, it appears similar to modern reptiles. It’s a good thing for us that nothing that large exists anymore, don’t you think, Sasuke?”

“Hn.”

Curiosity. Not unusual for Sasuke. When it came to combat, Sasuke tended to be a quiet, determined learner, but when it came to knowledge outside of battle...Sasuke was surprisingly studious. For a brief moment, Orochimaru felt pity for the boy. Pity that he was to be the last of his bloodline. Pity that he was doomed to become Orochimaru’s own vessel. If not for the tragedy, the boy might have grown to become a shinobi that rivaled his own greatness…

“Ah, there he is, Lord Orochimaru.” 

Indeed he was. In the far distance, at the base of the skeleton’s massive ribcage, a figure appeared. The figure was all white...definitely unusual. Orochimaru was far more accustomed to seeing both halves of the being known as Zetsu. If only the White had been sent...what business had occupied the creature that was so much more important? 

It mattered little. If he backed down now...he would never get what he’d came for. 

Orochimaru made his way down from the massive tree branches, quietly landing on one after the other until coming to the ground in a quiet rustle of wind. Kabuto came next, and Sasuke not far behind him. He could see the White Zetsu smile as he approached...perhaps a quaint attempt to appear unearthly, but the attempt was enough to send a noticeable shiver of fear through young Sasuke. There would be questions from the boy later, he was sure of it. For now…

“You have brought what I asked for, I hope?”

“One lock, as requested.” The Zetsu brought for a small vial. Within, Orochimaru caught sight of a bundle of silvery hairs. Hairs that could have belonged to anyone. He had no doubt that the Zetsu could easily deceive him, just as he himself planned on deceiving the Zetsu. But the chance, for the  _ chance _ that this lock was what he desired…

Well worth the risk.

“Kabuto.” Orochimaru gestured to his servant, and the man stepped forward, producing a scroll and opening it for Zetsu to see.

“Details on the Resurrection Technique.” Kabuto explained. “As the notes mention, it will require a human sacrifice to bring back the soul of the deceased. Though I doubt that will be a problem for you.”

“Not at all.” The Zetsu replied, still grinning. Kabuto snapped the scroll shut again and moved forward in time with the Zetsu.

There was a moment, a brief moment, in which everyone there tensed. A moment in which anyone could have drawn a blade or started a hand sign. A moment in which betrayal would have been as easy as breathing.

The vial touched Kabuto’s hand, and the scroll touched Zetsu’s. Both shinobi backed away, and Orochimaru could see a small breath of relief come from Kabuto’s lips.

“Thank you for your business, Zetsu. Be sure to give Pein my regards.”

“You could always come back to us, Orochimaru. There is place in our organization for your skills.”

“As always, a tempting offer. But I have much  _ bigger _ things in mind.”

The group separated without much further pleasantries. It was only once they were a mile from the meeting point that Orochimaru allowed himself to ease up. It had been a gamble on his end, of course, but he doubted Zetsu would immediately discover that the scroll he’d been given had been altered slightly from Orochimaru’s original design: one simple symbol with an extra line through it, enough to ensure the technique wouldn’t last more than an hour. 

It was still a useful technique, but not nearly as useful as Orochimaru’s own perfected product. And that was how it should be. If he just let  _ anyone _ have access to his carefully crafted techniques, well...he’d be quite the sellout.

“What are those hairs?”

“Something that needn’t concern you, Sasuke.” Orochimaru answered automatically. He reached out to take the bottle from Kabuto, examining it with a critical eye. The hairs seemed...well, they  _ looked _ like hairs.

Time would tell if they were truly locks of the being known as Kaguya. 

“Come, Sasuke. We have a long journey home, and along the way you will perfect your chakra control. I expect silence on the road back.”

“...hn.”

He was a stubborn boy. But a powerful one. Soon...soon Sasuke would be his in full.

And the steps to creating his final vessel had, as of now, finally begun. 

 

-

 

“Son of a shit-fucked riceball, that  _ hurts _ !”

“Maybe next time, don’t allow yourself to be cut in half during a simple bounty hunt.”

“Eat a cock, Kakuzu! You’re making it hurt on purpose!”

Never mind that it was always  _ him _ taking the majority of the damage whenever they went on these ‘simple hunts’. In all of his years working for Akatsuki, Hidan hadn’t seen the man take lethal damage  _ once _ . And maybe it was his life’s purpose to be a vessel for pain, but that didn’t mean his partner couldn’t, well, be a  _ goddamn _ partner every now and then and help out beyond making some dumbass comment about Hidan’s fighting style. The only useful quality the bastard had was the ability to sew Hidan back together if the worst came to it. But damn if the process didn’t  _ hurt _ .

Hidan wistfully thought of his old home, the Jashin enclave hidden within the depths of Yugakure. The healers there, the members of the shitty ‘Calm Path’...well, at least they were gentler than this. Hidan found himself longing for the easy regeneration of the Jushisai.

(He could just  _ leave _ ...not even Akatsuki knew where the Jashin enclave was hidden. He could run home, hide away until he was forgotten, stop getting involved in this stupid, fucking mess…)

Hidan shook the cowardly thoughts from his head. Jashin would  _ smite _ him for running away from a job like this one. At some point, once they had enough information, once they were  _ prepared _ , Akatsuki would move out against the Jinchuuriki. The ultimate challenge, and the ultimate destruction, right? How many shinobi alive could say they’d fought a Demon Host and won? Never mind, of course, that it was much more in line with his belief to destroy the Bijuu entirely, rather than resealing it, but that was a step he could work out along the way. 

Jashin, for whatever reason, had set him on this path. Jashin had led Akatsuki to him, that was something that had been agreed upon by his elders. Fuck the elders, Hidan mused, but...the elders needed to be shown at least outward respect. One of the tenants of Jashinism. Tenants he had sworn to follow for such glorious gifts. 

Hidan winced as Kakuzu pulled the final thread through his skin. He’d need to remain still for a while, until his body regenerated, but for now, at least, he was in one piece. “Thanks.” He grumbled.

“Don’t screw up next time.” Kakuzu answered, his typical response.

Hidan really hated the fucker.

Kakuzu left Hidan’s side to go and wrap up the body of the kunoichi Hidan had lovingly sacrificed. Off the shinobi would go to claim the bounty, leaving Hidan behind to recuperate and catch up when his leg finally worked again. It definitely gave Hidan time to think. 

He wondered, briefly, if the young kunoichi he’d met in Plains had really been interested in the faith, or if she’d only  _ really _ been interested in the immortality. It was a rare gift, he’d been told, one that Jashin granted only to one at a time. One who exemplified the beliefs of the Violent Path. Until Hidan was erased from the world, he would be the only one who carried such an ability. Such was the will of Jashin. If Kakuzu or Pein or any of the other Akatsuki fuckers knew what sort of shinobi they’d been  _ allowed _ onto their team...he certainly deserved a lot more fuckin’ respect.

Pinkie would never obtain immortality. But Jashin could help her to get stronger, that much Hidan could guarantee. Assuming she made it all the way to the depths of Yu and found the hidden enclave within the mountainside. Assuming she wasn’t killed on the way in. Hidan found himself rooting for her, in a way. The way she’d punched that Hiroshi guy, hard enough that he’d  _ heard _ the man’s jawbones crackle...it had been like beautiful,  _ beautiful _ music. He could imagine her training in the steam-shrouded rooms of Peace and Violence. He could see her, bright-eyed, ready to kill, training as an apprentice at his side…

If not for the  _ goddamned Akatsuki _ .

Jashin sent him to this group for a reason, Hidan reminded himself. He had heard the decree in his dreams, felt it within the power that resonated within him. Jashin wanted him  _ here _ . But why? Why was it so important to be here  _ now _ ?

Pein claimed that they were going to unite the shinobi world and save it from destroying itself. Rightfully so, Pein claimed that humanity was naturally prone to war, and that he could use strength to force the shinobi world to follow his will, and end fights before they began. Pein even had the audacity, the  _ gall _ , to claim himself a god. Hidan knew better, of course. He’d met Jashin  _ long _ before he’d ever so much as heard the name of Pein, and even though Pein was strong, perhaps even stronger than himself...Pein was no Jashin. Pein couldn’t possibly unite the shinobi world.

But somehow, through Hidan’s being in Akatsuki...somehow, despite all thoughts to the contrary…

Hidan would help lead the world to salvation.

What a stupid, strange thought, that Jashin would insist upon the actions of a Hageshisai in order to ensure the world’s salvation. Hidan was a  _ destroyer _ , meant to annihilate his foes in Jashin’s name, meant to ensure  _ violence _ , not  _ peace _ . 

But who was he to deny the will of his god?

As Hidan tested the mobility of his legs, he began to say a silent prayer to Jashin. A prayer for guidance. A prayer for answers. A prayer for the bloody patience not to strangle Kakuzu and his five hearts while the man slept. If Jashin was expecting him to stick around with Akatsuki…

He was going to need a  _ lot _ of divine assistance.

 

-

 

A deep, retching cough sounded through the room, and Kisame saw dark blood on the hand of Itachi Uchiha.

Lung disease, progressing at a rate that would kill the man within a year or two. Itachi did not have long to live, and yet, refused all medical help beyond simple pills. Willpower, a stronger willpower than Kisame had ever seen in a man, was what was truly keeping the Uchiha alive. A pity. Itachi was one of the few men that Kisame truly respected...the only one still alive, if he was honest with himself. 

To anyone else, it might have seemed strange to see the Monster of the Hidden Mist lay a gentle hand upon Itachi’s back. But Kisame supposed no one would ever truly know the real him as Itachi did. 

“You’re still so determined to die at your brother’s hands? If you don’t get help, you won’t make it long enough to  _ glimpse _ him, let alone convince him of a proper fight.”

“We’ve discussed this before, Kisame.”

Back and forth, this talk usually went. Kisame tried in vain to save Itachi’s life, and Itachi stubbornly pushed himself further and further into his own grave. If it were anyone else, Kisame would have let them die. A man who had lost the will to live was hardly a man at all. But without Itachi, if he  _ considered _ the world without Itachi in it...Kisame had nothing left.

Akatsuki, perhaps, though Kisame held no true loyalty to it. It had been a way to pass the time until his assignment to Itachi, and once the bastard Uchiha had wormed his way into Kisame’s heart, motives had changed. Keep Itachi alive. Help him see his goals achieved. And then…

And then…

If he allowed Akatsuki to dominate Konoha, would that be a stain upon Itachi’s memory? But was he even capable of stopping Akatsuki alone? A rock and a hard place, that was where he had ended up. Only ever loosely tied to one thing at a time. As fickle and fierce as the waves back home. 

“Kisame, you should get something to eat.”

“Not until you’ve stopped coughing.”

“What are you going to do?”

Itachi looked up at him, dark eyes seeming to read his very thoughts. “What will you do?” Itachi repeated. “When I am gone? You deserve more than what Akatsuki has given you.”

“What I want does not exist.” Kisame retorted. He would amuse Itachi, if only for a little while. “The world is full of traitors and scum, and I am the worst of the lot. What sort of home would have a use for a shinobi like me? I killed my superior. I have killed my comrades for the sake of some greater good...but what good is worth the lives of others? I have yet to see it, Itachi. I have yet to see a meaning for this life of mine. You, at the very least, will die giving purpose to your brother. I will likely die a meaningless death, one that will serve to benefit someone else only briefly before they too are overthrown.” He chuckled to himself, sharp teeth scraping across each other as he did so. “There is no true honesty in this world. No one truly worth following. I’m lucky enough to have found a friend, and even he will leave me soon.”

“Kisame…”

“I have to try.” Kisame admitted. “Try to give you a reason to live beyond your brother. If I don’t, then I really will have lived a meaningless life.”

“...I will get further aid for myself, if you promise me something.”

“Hm?” Interesting. Itachi had never bargained before. Perhaps it was becoming too much to bear. 

“Promise me, once I am gone, that you will look for someone worth following.” 

This time, Kisame laughed fully, heartily. Someone worth following?

Such a person likely didn’t exist.

Still, as he gently rubbed Itachi’s back, he had to admit that he didn’t have anything better to occupy himself with, once Itachi was dead. He was neutral to Akatsuki. Neutral to the world. But if Itachi asked...if  _ Itachi  _ asked...

“Alright, you stubborn bastard.” He answered. “I’ll look. I won’t find anyone. But I’ll look.” 

Itachi coughed again, but despite it all, the man had a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Here you have it folks, the winners of the vote I posted all those chapters ago. Kisame was the clear favorite, followed very closely by Hidan. Tied for third (and I do mean TIED), were Ino, Shikamaru, and Orochimaru. I decided to write all of them, as you guys very clearly wanted to see what they were up to, and it gave me a good excuse to start introducing concepts that will be important tools for later...
> 
> AKA, you guys can start getting glimpses of how much I plan on fucking up Naruto canon. 
> 
> For the curious folks, initially the Ino, Shikamaru, and Orochimaru bits were going to be worked into a long Naruto/Sasuke chapter. I actually think it works a bit better this way, now that I have it written out. It's a challenge to write different POVs, but it ends up being fun to see it come together!
> 
> If you're curious about where I'm taking some of the lore, or how I interpret certain characters or relationships, please don't be shy or hesitate to leave a question in the comments, or even message me at my tumblr. I love discussing Narutoverse as much as I love writing it. Of course, I'm still worried tumblr might poop itself, but it's stuck around this long, right?
> 
> And on that note, I throw out a question to you folks: is there a place you guys like to go to discuss Naruto? A discord, a certain tumblr, a certain forum? I'd love to start throwing myself into the community more, but I'm a bit of a latecomer. I've actually considered starting my own discord for naruto fanworks/discussion, but I don't want to tread on the toes of others. Let me know your thoughts, and have a pleasant holiday!))


	33. Chapter 33

_ Second Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact: _ _   
_ _ All villages who henceforth sign this agreement are to be considered in alignment. The implications of such are that no village under the pact shall actively declare war, sabotage, or otherwise harm either the other villages in the pact, or the shinobi under each village’s jurisdiction. If a village is suspected to have broken this tenant, unless evidence is otherwise undeniable, the village will be put to trial to determine guilt. Upon guilty verdict, the village will be suspended from alliance and subject to retaliation.  _

_ Every village has a right to a trial consisting of both members of the Shinobi Neutrality Project, as well as peers from their own village and other villages within the alliance. _

 

Sakura was the only one who slept soundly at night.

At first, Gaara wasn’t sure if Kakashi Hatake slept at all. Despite the fact that Gaara truly did not sleep, (and had been more than willing to take up permanent night watch), shifts had still been agreed upon so that Gaara would not have to be constantly alert. Still, even the slightest movement caused the Konoha jounin’s single eye to open and scan the area, even if the movement was just the falling of a leaf or a squirrel scampering across a branch. There were times,  _ rare _ times, where movement wouldn’t stir the man, Gaara’s only clue that Kakashi was capable of sleep, but those times only came, interestingly enough, when it was Sakura’s shift. 

Sai, in contrast, clearly  _ tried _ to sleep, but was incapable of more than hour long rests before his body began to twitch and he woke up in a state that was far more emotional than his usual blank slate. Nightmares. Gaara had seen Sakura experience them occasionally, but never nightly. Gaara had never understood why one’s mind would force a person to live through horrific scenes at a time when they were supposed to be resting, but then again, there had been little in Gaara’s life that unnerved him. For Sai to experience nightmares nightly...what had he been put through, under Root? Was Konoha’s underground truly so terrifying, so brutal? 

Gaara wondered if that was why Kakashi didn’t sleep. When Gaara considered nightmares...well, he was grateful that he couldn’t experience them himself.

The woods were louder at night than he had expected. Insects, rodents, and nocturnal birds all chattered and chirped, and the wind on the mountain whistled through the spindly leaves of the trees around them. As far as he knew, they were still in Iwa territory, but had yet to come across any patrols or any merchants traveling the main road. The only other sign of sentient life had been the chakra signature Sakura had picked up on days before...and even that had yet to reveal itself again. 

A man whose skin was black and white, with strange, plant-like growths...it sounded more like a nightmare than an actual real being. 

Amazing, then, that Sakura could sleep so soundly. Was it a testament to her trust in him? With others around, Gaara found himself too embarrassed to ask.

Just a matter of time, he reminded himself, before Sai and Kakashi would return to Konoha, and it would be just the two of them again. 

It was Kakashi’s shift now, so Gaara allowed himself to stand up and stretch his legs. Kakashi, he trusted more than Sai, which meant during his shift he could wander the immediate area to keep himself from getting stiff and scout for anything that Kakashi might miss. On top of that, Gaara could continue to familiarize himself with forest environments, which were still...strange, compared to the flat, rocky deserts he had gotten used to navigating. Trees, being living things, exuded a very small amount of natural chakra that made it more difficult for his feet to grip onto, and unlike stone they swayed and buckled with wind and weight. Leaves could fall and create noise with the tiniest of touches, an animal could alarm if you came too close to its nest...all these things, Gaara had to learn, things that other shinobi had  _ grown up _ learning and taken somewhat for granted. 

An hour passed as Gaara practiced stepping lightly from branch to branch, pine needles sticking to his clothes and his hair. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it.

The animal was small, the size of the cats he would often see running around the streets of Iwa, but unlike cats, this animal was stockier, with a fat tail and striped markings on its face. It was near silent as its pawed its way closer to the fire his comrades slept around, snuffling at the ground as it walked. 

Dangerous? Probably not. Gaara doubted the animal was some sort of predator that could harm Sakura, and if it  _ had _ been, Kakashi would have killed it in a heartbeat. He briefly saw the jounin look its way before the man turned back to that strange, orange book of his. No, the animal was not a threat...but it was  _ very _ curious, to come so close to people without fear of death. 

In a strange way, the animal looked...familiar. Had he seen such markings before?

**It’s a tanuki, brat, it better damn well look familiar.**

A  _ tanuki _ , so that was what it was. Gaara had heard the term used to describe Shukaku, knew vaguely that the animals existed, but he’d never  _ seen _ one before. How was it, he wondered, that Shukaku came to be in the desert, if other tanuki lived out here in the woods? If the animal was so curious, would it be friendly? Gaara had become admittedly fond of the cats he would sometimes run across in Iwa, understanding, after a time, why others valued the animals as pets. If this tanuki was calm enough, perhaps he could…

He heard a snort inside his mind from Shukaku. So...probably not. But Gaara had nothing better to do this late at night, and even if the animal did try to attack him, there would be no fangs or claws that could break through the sand he kept over his skin. 

As Gaara made his way down the tree and towards the fire, the animal continued to snuffle about, eventually making its way towards Sakura’s feet. It nibbled briefly at one of her shoes before moving on...looking for food, Gaara deduced. Food that they could probably spare. He reached into one of his pouches, tearing off a tiny piece of jerky as he approached the tanuki. Eventually, the tanuki caught sight of him, and it let out a small hiss as he came near.

Gaara simply crouched down and held out the jerky. He’d found cats liked it best when he was quiet and low...and after a moment, it seemed, the tanuki thought similarly. It took several minutes before the tanuki was confident enough to come close, grabbing the jerky from Gaara’s hands with a quick, harsh movement before running off into the grass nearby. But it took the meat...and out of the corner of his eyes, Gaara saw what looked like a smile pass across Kakashi’s masked face. 

As they walked the next day, Gaara saw the animal follow them. 

**You gave it food** . Shukaku lamented.  **Now it’ll never leave us alone.**

Gaara didn’t see a problem with that.

Each night the tanuki would come shuffling into their camp, and Gaara would offer it a small bit of his rations. He could go without a small bit of dinner, he decided, if that meant his new small friend would stick around for a little bit longer. What he did not expect was, after several nights had passed, for the tanuki to start bringing friends.

Sometimes just one. Sometimes several. But each night Gaara found himself surrounded by several furry friends who all were more than eager to share in the jerky bounty that Gaara offered. 

**Greedy little brats** . Shukaku commented.  **Tanuki were a formidable race, but if this is what they have become…**

Gaara wondered if Shukaku had taken on the form of a tanuki before or after meeting the animals. As a being of pure chakra, he could look like anything, Gaara figured, and yet...he’d chosen this form. So one night, during a meditation, Gaara decided to ask.

**I didn’t choose this form.** Shukaku admitted, huffing as he spoke.  **None of my brethren did. We simply...were. I theorized that the energy that makes up my being resonates with the energy tanuki carry...though, the tiny brats you’ve been feeding barely have any chakra at all.**

“So there are tanuki that do have chakra? Do people summon them?”

**Not for years. Decades. Not since I was sealed away. Tanuki can hold a hell of a grudge, and they considered me one of their own. They thought humans were stupid enough before, but after putting me into a tea kettle, they washed their hands of humanity entirely.** Shukaku chuckled.  **Kind of touching, now that I think about it. Makes me wonder what they’ve been up to all these years.**

As the nights slowly passed, Gaara wondered if one day that could change. He and Shukaku had been on much better terms since he’d begun to dedicate time to talk with the beast, so maybe, if he and Shukaku became close...maybe he could see these strong tanuki one day. A far off goal, maybe, but the small ones in the woods had warmed up to him fast enough.

It was one particular night, as a tanuki was tugging a piece of jerky from his fingers, that things suddenly changed. All at once, the tanuki froze, dropping the jerky and turning its head towards the woods nearby. Then, without much hesitation, it ran into the woods, leaving the food behind.

Unusual behavior. It was Kakashi’s shift again, and Gaara found himself curious, so he began to walk in the direction the tanuki ran off to. It was dark, but the moon was mostly full, and Gaara had always had a knack for night vision. 

What was even stranger was that it seemed as though the tanuki was  _ wanting _ him to follow. It would scamper off out of sight, but then wait until Gaara caught up before scampering off again. It went far, almost too far for Gaara to want to continue following, until eventually he saw further movement in the forest beyond.

Out of instinct, Gaara leapt into the tree next to him, hoping the pine needles would be enough to cover him. His instincts were correct.

There was a person in the woods.

Gaara watched as the tanuki confronted the person, growling and hissing in a manner that was unusual for the animal. It was only after a few seconds of looking when Gaara realized that the person had killed another tanuki, and had gotten halfway through skinning it before Gaara and his furry friend had arrived. Had the tanuki sensed its companion’s death? It seemed...angry, angry at this person who had covered all of their identifying features with cloth and a white mask. There were slits for their eyes, but nothing else, not like Sai’s mask which had markings and stripes. Nothing distinguishing on their clothes, no headband indicating a village...nothing.

But the person pushed away the hissing tanuki with a harsh kick, and suddenly in Gaara’s mind the person was an Enemy.

His sand poured out from the ‘scroll’ on his back, slinking towards the person until it was close enough to wrap around their ankles and pull them quickly to the ground. The person struggled for a brief moment before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

A clone. Damn it all.

It would be smart to go for backup, but Gaara wasn’t sure if the person knew about the existence of his comrades, and the last thing he wanted to do was lead a hostile stranger to Sakura. 

The tanuki had gotten up again, and Gaara noted with glee that the animal had turned to face a certain part of the woods, fur up and still hissing angrily. Aha. His furry friend would be helpful after all. Gaara pushed himself from his hiding spot, now with a new objective in mind. Capture the enemy, figure out why a shinobi was out here in the woods alone. As he lunged forward, several kunai streaked towards him with pinpoint accuracy, deflected on time only due to the speed of his protective sand. A test throw, by the look of things, as Gaara caught sight of the shinobi turning to run once they realized their weapons were useless. 

Running, Gaara realized, right towards his camp.

**Better kill them quick, brat** .

No, not kill. But definitely capture. Gaara sent out his sand ahead of him, lashing at the shinobi’s legs to try and bring him down. He tripped the shinobi once, and before he could move in for the capture, the tanuki leapt in out of nowhere, biting down on the shinobi’s wrist. Gaara heard the shinobi curse aloud, and that hesitation was all he needed to wrap his sand around the shinobi’s body and restrain them. 

For a moment, there was more struggling. Then, before Gaara could stop the shinobi, they pulled up their mask and shoved something into their mouth. Gaara heard choking, and saw something bubble in their mouth, and then the shinobi laid dead.

Gaara and Shukaku’s thoughts resonated in one single line.

**What the** **_fuck_ ** **just happened?**

 

-

 

Gaara brought the body back to camp, dropping it on the ground next to Kakashi, who looked, if anything, even more exhausted once he caught sight of it. He put a finger to his lips before gesturing for Gaara to follow him out of sight of their companions.

“I’ve been expecting this.” Kakashi admitted as he began to examine the body. After a moment, he forced the mouth open, pulling the tongue out so Gaara could see. Though it was swollen from death, and the effect of whatever the person had swallowed, there was a very clear series of black marks on the tongue. “Look familiar?”

“Sai has those markings.” Gaara answered. “A Root agent?”

“Yes, though he’ll have tried to make damn sure we can’t prove it. Those markings will fade away in about an hour, now that he’s dead.”

“But why?” Gaara demanded. “We already have a Root agent in our midst. Why is he here? And why kill himself?”

“Because we  _ don’t _ actually have a Root agent in our midst.” Kakashi countered. “About a month ago, Sai was ordered home. He hasn’t responded to his order. As far as Root’s leader is concerned, that’s treason. Quite frankly, I’m amazed it took them this long to find us.”

“They’re here to kill Sai.” Gaara deduced, frowning. “And what of Sakura and I? You?”

“No idea. But there will be more of them. Danzo isn’t one to take a loss lightly. He’ll try and catch us off guard a few times before he determines it’s not worth the effort.” 

“Why haven’t you told us before?” Gaara turned his frown to Kakashi. “This could mean life or death for Sakura. We needed heavier guard than just a simple night watch. I got lucky with this one, who knows how many more are out there.”

“You’re right. We do need to be more on our guard. But…” Kakashi sighed. “I was hoping Sai would just come out and tell us. I’m unsure why he’s kept it to himself. When I confronted him...he denied it completely.”

The two were silent for a moment as Kakashi began to rummage through the shinobi’s things. Kunai, shuriken, some traps...but nothing more. Nothing ‘damning’, as Kakashi had put it. 

“One more chance.” Gaara decided.

“Hm?”

“Sai gets one more chance to come clean. Before the next round of Root tries to kill him again. Otherwise, I’ll tell Sakura myself.”

“Ah.” Kakashi gave Gaara a smile. “Well, I can’t say I disapprove of that. But Gaara, just…” Kakashi hesitated. Unusual, for him. “...just, be gentle with Sai. Root is a nightmare. If anything, you probably can understand him better than most, what it’s like to be viewed as something less than human.”

“You say that like you know it.”

“I was part of Root, once.” Kakashi admitted. “...fortunately, I got some sense knocked into me before I fell in too deep. I got lucky. Not everyone gets second chances like that.”

“No.” Gaara admitted. “Not everyone does.”

But  _ he’d _ gotten a second chance. Naruto had knocked that sense into him, and now...now he was  _ better _ . Not maniacal, not blood-thirsty...he had friends. He had a purpose. 

Was Sai...in the same place he had been? Thinking himself hopelessly entrenched in a bloody future, unable to break free, no love, no friendship? 

Sakura had reached out to him, tried to bring him into the group. In a way, she had already been doing for Sai what needed to be done. And here Gaara had been, trying to push him away out of...jealousy.

He was a selfish idiot. 

Gaara buried the body. For now, Sai would be safe. Maybe he just needed time, time away from the influence of Root to realize that there were better paths, better options. And maybe, this time...maybe Gaara would try to reach out too.

As he and Kakashi made their way back to the fire, the tanuki was sitting there waiting for him, licking its paw to cover a small cut it had gotten in the scrap. As Gaara approached, it went to his side, rubbing its head against his leg in an affectionate manner. 

Definitely a friend. It had just taken patience, understanding, and...a willingness to listen. The tanuki had led him to the Root shinobi. The friendship, beyond the simple goal of shared affection, had already proven worthwhile.

He’d just have to show Sai. Somehow. Someway. Friendship was worth it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Decided to take a break last week, mostly to try and avoid burnout. I'm already beyond stupefied at the fact that I've churned out 100k words in a year...it's just crazy the more I think about it. As of now, I'll be back to a weekly update schedule.
> 
> Seen a lot of new readers come in over the holiday, and I want you to know that your comments have been lovely and I appreciate every single one of them.   
> Similarly, for the people who have been with me since the beginning, especially those who continue to comment...I mean, I'd die for you, let's just get that out there. I read every comment, I'm recognizing some of the usernames, and I get a smile on my face with every notification I get. You all are awesome. <3
> 
> For those who have been lamenting about the lack of Hidan/Jashinism, and there've been a few of you...lament no further. There WILL be more to come. Sakura's just got a bit of a journey before she's ready to confront religion. Jashinism is one of my favorite concepts in Naruto, and I fully plan on giving it the love it deserves. I'll say...by the end of Act Two, we'll be there. ;)
> 
> Happy New Year, my friends.))


	34. Chapter 34

_Third Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact_

_The villages of the pact will stand as one. Any threat by outside force on one village is a threat on all. Villages in the alliance will deal with hostile forces together, in order to preserve the alliance as a whole._

 

It was official. Judging by the landmarks and how long they’d been traveling, Sakura had officially left Earth Country and crossed the border into the stretch of land owned by Taki shinobi. The land itself wasn’t a ‘country’, not like other places she’d been to in the past, but rather a vast forest that was guarded solely by Takigakure. If there were other towns within the border, they were too small to show up on common maps.

Very few outsiders traveled to Taki. By the sound of things, there was simply very little reason to. Taki shinobi were extremely protective of their village, and most that had attempted to invade the land in the past had been repelled by what Sakura had read to be ‘extremely powerful shinobi’. Even her own map only had a crude estimate for where the location of the village was. Sakura just hoped they’d run into a patrol and be able to explain the situation before it escalated into a fight.

Iwa had been known for being fairly protective, and she’d managed to win them over, regardless of the fact that it had been due to luck and fortuitous timing. Maybe luck would keep being on their side now.

There were three things she needed to address in Taki. First and foremost was bringing up the Neutrality Pact. She had literally no idea what Taki would think of such a venture, but she’d hoped, given shinobi history, that they would look at the idea favorably. The only past treaty that was even remotely comparable in scope to what she was attempting had been made back at the founding of the villages, when Hashirama Senju had attempted to unite the five major villages and stop the widespread war. Villages like Taki had supposedly existed back then, but had been considered too small to consider in such a treaty. By including them now, Taki would be considered on equal footing with villages like Iwa and Konoha. It was one of the reasons Plains had signed onto the agreement so readily. Such an agreement was potentially groundbreaking for a small village with little continental influence.

Second, there was a Jinchuuriki in Taki. The only village outside the major five to have one. Sakura had to wonder if part of the reason they were so efficient and repelling invaders was due to the power of their Bijuu. Regardless, Gaara had done well with making friends with the Iwa Jinchuuriki, so she hoped he might be able to work his magic with the next one.

Finally, there was the matter of the Akatsuki member Kakuzu.

She really only had a name and rumors. During her time in Iwa she had investigated the man that she had seen in Plains, and all she had managed to learn was that he was a prolific bounty hunter who wore a slashed Takigakure headband. Taki was the only lead she had when it came to finding out what such a shinobi was capable of, and in turn, it was possible that Kakuzu was the most major threat to them and their Jinchuuriki, given that he no doubt had knowledge of village secrets.

Three goals. That was what she had to focus on.

Of course that was rather hard when her traveling companions were acting so damn _odd_.

Kakashi had always kind of acted like he had several secrets up his sleeves. She was used to his unnaturally laid-back attitude and the fact that he always seemed to know more than he let on. So really, he was the most easy to ignore amidst the strangeness.

Sai, well, he’d always been a bit strange, that much was true. Sakura had chalked it up to the nature of his upbringing under Root. But even now, as he put on his usual fake smile and attempted to join in on her small talk, Sakura couldn’t help but notice that he seemed...distracted. Constantly looking left and right, up and down, as though he was expecting something to come jumping out of a tree at any minute. Paranoid, yes that was the way to describe it. Sai was acting paranoid, had _been_ acting paranoid since the moment they’d left Iwa, and it was making _Sakura_ paranoid. It was bad enough that she’d seen that strange plant-looking man on their way down the mountain, but now Sakura was  starting to look everywhere _too_ , sending off her sensing jutsu every few minutes and even occasionally looking around for anything resembling an enemy. She didn’t like being this jumpy. Sai hadn’t been like this before Iwa, so what had changed? And how could she possibly breach the subject without sounding...weird?

She would have brought it up with Gaara, but the kicker was that _he_ was acting distracted too. At first, Sakura thought it was due to him suddenly gaining a new furry companion. She liked the tanuki well enough, and she certainly wasn’t going to deny the presence of a cute animal in their group. (Though she did occasionally question how on earth Gaara had gotten it to follow them.) But after a while she realized that _he_ was starting to act somewhat paranoid too. She could almost pinpoint the moment his demeanor shifted. One night, he was normal. The next night, he barely left her side. On top of that, he was always _looking_ at Sai, like he was expecting something to happen that simply hadn’t yet.

Everyone was acting _weird_ and Sakura was getting _tired_ of it.

And since her companions wouldn’t come out and tell her what was going on, Sakura found she only really had one way to vent.

“Boys.” Sakura huffed to herself quietly as she ran her hands through the tanuki’s soft fur. It was her turn to keep watch, and even with Gaara awake, she’d found the right volume to talk without him being able to hear. “I swear, they think girls like us are too fragile to handle a problem when it comes up, but they’re incapable of keeping it from us either. You’d think they’d know by now it’s better to talk it out. Isn’t that right, Emi?”

The tanuki looked up at her with adorable brown eyes. Sakura was pretty sure it was a girl, but...well, maybe she just _wanted_ it to be a girl. Back at Konoha, at least she’d had Ino to talk to whenever the boys had gotten rowdy. Here...well, here she just had Emi.

(She’d picked out the name. Gaara had seemed to like it well enough.)

“The stupid thing is, they’re probably just trying to ‘protect me’ from whatever drama they’ve cooked up behind my back.” Sakura lamented, using both her hands to cup the tanuki’s fluffy cheeks. “I swear, it’s like when Naruto and Sasuke started fighting, you know? Like, _really_ fighting. They’d be all mopey around each other but they’d never talk about it or anything like that. And I think Kakashi tries to keep me out of it because he has some weird idea that I still need to be protected from the world.”

Sakura sighed. And then she frowned, determination coming to her face.

“What do you think, Emi? Am I a kunoichi or not?”

Emi blinked at her, a sloppy little grin coming to her face.

“That’s right.” Sakura agreed.

It was time to investigate.

Sakura stood up, taking the tanuki into her arms as she began to walk away from the camp. It was time to check the perimeter, something she typically did on watch anyway. Knowing Gaara, who never slept, he would follow her on the perimeter check to make sure she was safe. This was key to her plan.

She walked until she was just barely out of hearing range of the camp. She could still see the light of the fire, and to be honest she was fairly certain that even with her gone, nobody would be able to get a jump on a Root agent and a Konoha jounin anyway. Her keeping watch was somewhat of a formality. She stopped at a large tree, looking as though she was examining it until Gaara came close enough. Then, she swiveled around, tanuki in one arm, accusatory hand pointing with the other.

“Alright, Gaara. Spill it. What the hell is going on?”

Gaara blinked, his eyes widening in surprise. “I...don’t know what you mean.” He answered. Stone-faced, of course. If anyone was good at hiding emotions, it was Gaara...for the most part. But Sakura had been traveling with the boy for a while, and she could see what others couldn’t. The quick downward glance...he was feeling guilty. The subtle shift in his stance, a slightly defensive posture. To Sakura, he was like an open book.

“You think I haven’t noticed everything?” Sakura retorted angrily. “Sai’s walking around like a bunny about to sprint off if anything so much as looks at him funny. _You’re_ acting paranoid as fuck, and that means a lot coming from Mr. Ultimate Defense. And Kakashi’s got that look like he knows something and doesn’t want to tell me. So _you’re_ gonna tell me, right?” Sakura takes a deep breath, and then puts on her most sweetest begging face, one she practiced in front of the mirror for years for when she wanted to use it to ask Sasuke out on dates. “You’re gonna tell me because you’re my _best friend_ , right?”

Gaara looked even more surprised at this, and there was something of a sheepish look on his face as he replied. “I’m your...best friend?”

“Duh.” Sakura rolled her eyes. “I mean, you left your village to come along with me. You’ve been with me all this time. Do you honestly think you’re _not_ best friend material at this point?”

“I mean...I don’t really know how it works.”

“There’s not a way it _works_ , you just...you’re a best friend or you’re not. It’s easy. And you’re distracting me from my question.” Sakura pointed a finger again. “Gaara, I need to know what’s going on.”

Gaara remained quiet for a moment. This time, Sakura can tell, he’s thinking, maybe thinking of the best way to approach whatever’s going on.

“I...can’t be the one to tell you.” Gaara finally admitted. “I would like to tell you, but I promised I’d give one more chance before I did.”

“One more chance?” Sakura thought on this for a moment. It’s...very likely Gaara’s referring to Sai, unless somehow Gaara found Kakashi doing something odd.

(For a brief moment Sakura wondered if Gaara and Sai managed to peek at one of Kakashi’s books. She’d looked at one of the ones she found at a bookstore once...never again. Never again.)

Sai it probably is.

“So...on a scale of one to ten, how detrimental is this secret going to be to our mission?”

“Um.” Gaara thought aloud, looking uncharacteristically worried. “I...well, it’s not like I won’t be able to protect you. So...maybe...a one.”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “...on a scale of one to ten, how detrimental is this secret to the safety of other members of our party?”

“...it might be a ten.”

Sakura groaned, rolling her eyes as she turned around to gently knock her head against the branch of the tree behind her. “You’re telling me that you guys have been holding a _ten_ behind my back without bothering to tell me? And you thought I wouldn’t find _out_ . Son of a _bitch_.”

“I’m sorry…” Sakura heard Gaara’s timid voice from behind her. “But if he isn’t the one to tell you then he isn’t going to learn.”

“It’s _Sai_ , you saw how much work it took to get a freaking _name_ out of him!”

“...am I still your best friend?”

Sakura turned around. Gaara looked distressed, and damn it all if she wasn’t feeling sorry for him. She set down Emi so she could go put a hand on his shoulder. “Of _course_ you’re still my best friend, I’m not _really_ mad at you. It’s just...we really don’t need this right now. We’re in potentially hostile territory at the moment, we don’t know how Taki is going to react to us coming, and the last thing we need is whatever drama Sai’s dragged with him to interfere with us getting this treaty signed. If we come in bringing baggage, Taki might turn us away without a second thought.”

“I dunno.” A voice sounded from the tree above her. “Some of us kinda like the drama.”

Sakura and Gaara both looked up. Sitting in on a branch, kicking her legs back and forth in a calm manner, was a girl about their age. She had a shock of blue hair, and wore a distinct Taki headband around her upper arm. She grinned, her orange eyes squinting somewhat as she looked down at them.

“Hiya.”

Sakura sighed.

It was going to be that kind of night, wasn’t it?

 

-

 

The girl’s name was Fuu, and that was all that Sakura could get out of her. Which was strange, because the girl couldn’t seem to stop talking.

“It’s been a really long time since we had visitors at _all_.” Fuu spoke, seemingly oblivious to the hostile stares that were coming at her from the others. “Not that I blame people. The last time a group of bandits passed through, they got really close to the village, so Kegon put water shuriken straight through their brains! It was super gross!” She made a gesture with her hands, and then made a sound like something getting squished. “Sploosh! All over the rocks. I think one of them survived though because every now and then we hear a merchant mention it when we watched them skim the border.”

All three of her companions were looking at Fuu with slight disbelief. Here she was, waltzing into their camp in the dead of night, and now she was sitting at their fire and chatting like it was completely natural.

“So are you going to attack us or are you going to keep us up all night?” Sai questioned.

“Yes, I think we’d all like to know the situation.” Kakashi added.

“Oh, me? I felt a strange chakra so I came to investigate, that’s all. Like I said, we don’t usually get visitors. And we _especially_ don’t see shinobi. Actually, I don’t think I’ve _ever_ seen other shinobi.” Fuu admitted with a frown. “Just bandits and robbers and other ilk that think our forest is their stomping ground. Are you guys planning on invading? I thought I heard Pinkie mention a treaty!”

“Pinkie…” Sakura heard Sai mutter. She had the feeling she’d just gotten a new nickname.

“My name’s Sakura.” She insisted, hoping to nip things in the bud. “And yes, I’m here with a treaty. It’s a part of the Shinobi Neutrality Project. I’m trying to draft up a potential alliance between the Hidden Villages, so we’ve come to Taki in peace to see if they would be interested in joining.”

“Oh! Hmm. Probably not.” Fuu admitted, putting a finger to her chin as she thought. “We don’t really like strangers. And you guys have tried to invade in the past, so you’ll probably try to do it again.”

“Well, under the treaty-”

“Besides, you don’t even know _why_ you want to ally with us!”

“Um.” Sakura blinked, looking back and forth to each of her companions. “I mean, it’s the same reason we want all of the villages, I would imagine. We’re not prioritizing any village above any other. That’s kind of the point.”

“Wrong.” Fuu held up a finger to Sakura, shaking it back and forth. “Wrong, wrong! You don’t know it, but we’re the most important village of them all. Do you want to know why?”

“...yes?”

“Then I’ll tell you!” Fuu answered with a grin. “Takigakure is the most important village in the world, and that’s becaaaause…” She leaned in, almost conspiratorial-like. “We keep the rest of the world safe from the demons.”

Sakura stared at Fuu for a moment, processing what she said, before looking to Gaara, to Sai, to Kakashi. For that moment, they all looked equally confused.

Then, it hit Sakura all at once.

“Tall, weird plant-looking men?”

Fuu gasped. “You’ve _seen_ one? Where? That means one got across the border! Crap!” She stood up, looking around desperately for a moment before turning back to Sakura.

“Alright, Pinkie. You’re coming with me. Shibuki needs to see you _immediately_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Apologies for the update delay; there was a bit of a small family medical emergency, but everything has been resolved, so now I'll be back on track for weekly. :) 
> 
> This is a callout post for all of the people shirking schoolwork or sleep to read this fic. I don't have much more to say, since I too used to shirk my schoolwork and sleep to read fics. So really, I'm calling us all out. We all need to go to bed.))


	35. Chapter 35

_ Fourth Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact _

_ All official ambassadors to the pact will be unaligned with any specific village in the pact. All actions and agreements performed by ambassadors will be done without bias. If an ambassador is suspected to have acted with bias, they will be investigated by both village delegates and fellow ambassadors. Upon proof of biased action, the ambassador will be subject to punishment, potentially including dismissal from their position and revokement of any agreements known to have been influenced by said bias.  _

 

“How many of those demons has your village seen so far?”

“Hundreds, over the years. It’s like there’s no end to them. We’re just lucky that they trickle in, in small groups. If a hundred tried to breach all at once, there’s no way we could contain them.”

Sakura listened closely while she ran next to Fuu, grateful for the familiar style of tree-jumping that she had gotten used to during her time in Konoha. Iwa’s pine trees had been ill-suited for travel; their prickly leaves were painful to push through, and their branches too close together. Taki trees were far more similar to the monsters that dotted the Konoha landscapes, which meant it was easy for Sakura to keep pace and hear what Fuu had to say.

Demons...that was the only term Fuu had to describe the beings that regularly tried to breach through Taki’s borders. Borders, Sakura had come to realize, that stretched a bit further than her past sources agreed upon. Even if it wasn’t recognized by other villages, Taki shinobi patrolled not only Taki land, but the entire strip around the Mountain’s Graveyard. It was there, Fuu claimed, that the demons were ‘born’. It was there they regularly approached from. But every time Taki had sent in shinobi to try and ‘clear the nest’, to figure out how they were being born and how to stop them...none ever returned.

Supposedly these demons had been around since before the founding of the Hidden Villages. It was this knowledge, and the dismissal of this knowledge, that had led to Taki denying alliance with any other village in the past. 

Taki was fighting a century’s long war, Fuu had told her. A war that nobody else acknowledged, let alone tried to assist in. And Sakura couldn’t help but be baffled by the fact that this information had existed for  _ so long _ , and not a single village had ever once thought to look into it further. It was so strange as to be  _ suspicious _ , and that just meant another mystery on the long list of mysteries that Sakura had to keep track of, damn it all.

But there was a connection, at the very least, a connection that unfortunately led to even more questions. The being that Sakura had seen up on the Iwa mountains  _ was _ technically a demon, but not one of the ones that Fuu was referring to. They referred to that demon as ‘Zetsu’, something similar in appearance to the other demons, but far more elusive and far less combative. This demon, Fuu claimed, was seen only rarely, and after all this time no one had been able to capture him, or even get close to landing a hit. All they had was a name...a name they weren’t even sure how they managed to obtain. But what they did know with a fair amount of certainty was that, as of late, all sightings of the Zetsu demon had described him as wearing a black robe with red clouds…

Akatsuki was hunting ‘demons’, through their supposed pursuit of Jinchuuriki. Fitting, then, that they had recruited a demon to their team. Akatsuki supposedly had nine members, so that, along with previous information and the knowledge of the two Sakura had met in plains, meant that she had names for at least five of the nine. 

The demons that Taki repelled were different than Zetsu in that they were actively antagonistic to anyone they encountered, and strong enough to  _ be _ a problem to anyone they encountered. To start, they were resilient. Jutsu that were lethal to humans could be shrugged off by a demon. On top of that, if they managed to get their hands on their attacker, they could  _ absorb their chakra _ , and even start to take on aspects of the person they absorbed the chakra from. Taki had learned early on that they were capable of mimicking someone they were allowed to fully absorb. A powerful blank slate that could infiltrate anywhere if given the chance. That could already  _ be _ infiltrating anywhere, if there were some that Taki’d happened to miss. This was a problem. This had  _ been _ a problem.

And Sakura made a vow right then and there that it wouldn’t  _ be _ a problem anymore. This was exactly the kind of problem that the Neutrality Project was made for. Konoha, Oto, and Taki all bordered the Mountain’s Graveyard, if she could get all three to agree to the project, she could get them to all work in tandem to figure this problem out. Maybe if all three worked together, they could find the demon ‘nest’ and root it out.

Taki, of course, was already tackling this problem directly, and Sakura knew for a fact that Konoha would likely be more than willing to help out, especially if Kakashi was here to see the problem firsthand. Oto, however…

Sakura had already been dreading trying to convince Orochimaru to join a village alliance. She was already worried enough about Suna and Konoha even  _ considering _ allowing a village founded by the man into the pact. Orochimaru had killed both their Kage, declared war on Konoha, manipulated Suna...it wasn’t something a village could easily move past. And it was a problem Sakura, at some point, would have to address. And now, with this  _ new _ problem stacking on top of it…

Sakura reached up, absentmindedly holding onto the amulet of Jashin around her neck. Maybe it was stupid, but she felt like she  _ needed _ divine influence to sort this shitshow out. 

“Are you  _ sure _ Konoha has no record of anything like this?” Sakura looked back at Kakashi. “Not a single hint of any weird white-skinned person who’s attacked in the past? Konoha borders the Graveyard, I find it a bit hard to believe we’ve never even  _ seen _ anything.”

“It’s because  _ we’re _ just that good.” Fuu answered before Kakashi could speak. “We’ve been keeping all you wimpy shinobi safe by manning the front lines.”

“...no, there’s nothing in any of our records about this.” Kakashi retorted, his one eye narrowing in what Sakura had learned to be annoyance. “Quite frankly, if Sakura hadn’t sensed that strange chakra a few days ago, I don’t think I would have believed you.”

“It seems very far-fetched.” Sai commented. “Are you sure your whole village hasn’t been attacking bears this entire time?” 

Fuu didn’t respond at first; she simply raised her middle finger at Sai while they ran. Sakura wondered if Sai even knew what the gesture meant. “Idiot. Just because you haven’t seen it yet doesn’t mean it isn’t true. But if you  _ really _ doubt me, you can go run into the Graveyard and see for yourself.” 

“We are  _ not _ running into the Graveyard.” Sakura groaned, rolling her eyes. “I am already on a tight schedule with this treaty, and we already have enough problems with Akatsuki looming over our heads. I don’t want to risk death just to prove a point.”

“But we are going to  _ need _ proof if the other villages are going to believe us.” Sai argued. “An alliance is one thing. An alliance with the stipulation of added protection for a demon patrol is far harder to justify.”

And Sai was...right. But how was Sakura going to get proof? She’d barely managed a glimpse of Zetsu, and she’d only managed that because-

Fuu came to a screeching halt, causing Sakura to nearly fall off a branch to stop with her. Behind her, she heard her three male companions skid to a stop as well.

“Fuu, what’s going on?”

“Shh.” Fuu put a finger to her lips. Then, to Sakura’s surprise, she made a series of familiar hand signs.

That...that was the sequence for her  _ sensing jutsu _ .

There were a couple extra signs at the end of the sequence, but up until that point the sequence had been identical. A more advanced version? Sakura briefly wondered if the scroll she’d filched had even belonged to Konoha at  _ all _ . Maybe it had been a Taki scroll, pillaged in the early years of war. 

But that thought didn’t matter now. Mimicking Fuu, Sakura went through her own sequence of hand signs, sending out a sensing pulse.

One, two, three... _ eight _ signatures, about two hundred feet away from their location. And each of those signatures had that strange, hollow energy to their chakra that she had sensed from Zetsu.

“You want your proof, Sai?” Sakura said in a low whisper. “I think timing’s on our side, because we can get proof  _ right now _ .” 

“Demons?” Gaara asked, moving closer to her side.

“Demons.” Fuu answered with a nod. “But...I’ll be dealing with them. You four are going to stay here and not move until I come back.”

“What?” Sakura protested. “Fuu, we can  _ help _ you! Do you really want to face eight of those on your own?”

“It’s not about that.” Fuu replied. All at once, Sakura noticed that the girl looked nervous. “Just...if you’re really serious about making an alliance, you’ll stay here and not follow me, alright?”

“She doesn’t want you to see her village’s techniques.” Sai piped up. “An alliance is a good cover story for having an easy infiltration into Taki. For all she knows, we’re really just here to steal village secrets.” 

“...oh.” Another valid point, Sakura considered. But still, was it really alright to let this girl handle eight enemies on her own? “If...if you’re sure you can handle it, Fuu, we’ll wait here.” 

To her surprise, Fuu gave her a smile. “I’m not like you guys. I’m the strongest kunoichi there ever was! So don’t you go around doubting me, alright? I’ll kick their asses and bring you back one of them so you can see the proof for yourself.” She held her hand in a thumbs up gesture, then made to turn around.

Then, suddenly, Gaara stepped forward, gently taking Fuu by the hand to hold her back.

“That’s not the reason, is it?” He asked softly.

“Hey, let go! This is serious!” Fuu pulled away with a frown. “And whatever you think you know-”

“It’s okay.” Gaara insisted. “I...I’m like you.”

Fuu’s eyes widened, and all at once Sakura understood. She’d known Taki had a Jinchuuriki...and now she knew that they’d been lucky enough that the very first shinobi they’d come across  _ was _ that Jinchuuriki. This  _ had _ been about keeping village secrets, but not just mere techniques. Sakura knew that Jinchuuriki had been kidnapped in the past so that other villages could gain control of their Bijuu. Bijuu were a source of village power. Now that they knew, now that the secret was out, that information could be  _ valuable _ in the wrong hands.

Sakura hoped beyond hope that the presence of a Jinchuuriki in their own group would be enough to convince Fuu that they weren’t a danger.

“I...I didn’t hear that.” Sakura spoke up, grabbing Gaara by the back of his shirt and pulling him back several steps. “And you didn’t say it. And  _ you two _ didn’t hear it either.” Sakura turned to point at Kakashi and Sai. “Especially you.” Sakura emphasized, jabbing her finger again in Sai’s direction. “And if I find you writing anything about this to Root later, I will give Fuu your head on a platter myself. We are here to invite Taki into an alliance,  _ not _ put their village in further jeopardy.”

“Right, right.” Kakashi held up his hands in defense. “Not a word.” 

Sai was quiet, which was...worrying. This was absolutely the sort of information Root would want to know, and Sakura wasn’t quite sure she could prevent Sai from sending that information out. All that on top of what Gaara had mentioned to her earlier...Sakura didn’t know what to do with Sai yet. But right now, the most important thing was taking care of demons.

Sakura turned around to face Gaara again before lightly rapping her fist against his forehead. “You need to be more careful!” She lectured. “I know you’re excited to meet someone like you, but you have to think about the consequences of that information, okay?”

“...okay.” Gaara nodded, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. 

“Now, since we’ve all accidentally heard this information that we will definitely  _ not _ be discussing further, I will ask again. Fuu...would you like our help?”

Fuu’s eyes were still wide, but after a moment her expression steeled and she gave the group a nod.

“Alright Pinkie, I’ll let you help.” All at once, her expression changed to that of a mischievous grin, and the girl reached out to poke Sakura’s forehead. “But only because you’re cute, you got that?”

Sakura turned beet red at the comment, sputtering slightly, but before she could retort, Fuu had already begun to move.

 

-

 

When Sakura first caught sight of the demons, she realized all at once that this was going to be her first  _ real _ fight since training under Onoki, and for a brief moment her nerves overtook her. The last real tussle she’d gotten herself into had ended with her getting stabbed twice, not to mention the brush with Akatsuki and the whole Plains civil war aspects. 

But she wasn’t that girl anymore. She wasn’t just playing around with jutsu she’d scraped up and barely learned. She was Sakura Haruno, lead ambassador for the Shinobi Neutrality Project, and student of the Third Tsuchikage. 

This fight wasn’t going to be like any of the ones before.

The demons were exactly like Fuu had described: white-skinned, humanoid but somehow inhuman in how they moved, how they looked, how they snarled as they realized that they were being approached. Even that, for a second, was enough to make Sakura hesitate. But Fuu charged in regardless, no hesitation, and if a girl like Fuu could be so brave, so could she.

Fuu had already charged in first, and for good reason. With a couple of quick hand signs, Fuu breathed out a cloud of glittering dust, covering each of the demons. It appeared to blind them, causing each of them to come to a halt as they scratched at their eyes. A damn good distraction. Then, Sakura saw what she could only describe as chakra begin to form around Fuu’s body, eventually coalescing into long strips on her back. 

Wings? 

Considering that Gaara had gone through radical transformations in the past with the energy of Shukaku, it wasn’t  _ completely _ surprising to see this. In fact, Sakura had to admit, it was kind of cool. Fuu’s chakra wings were allowing her to hover, which would give her a tactical advantage in the fight and…

And damn it all, now Sakura didn’t want to be shown up.

“Gaara, you’ve got defense!” She called out, letting herself fall back into the routine of her past sparring drills. “Sai, get up in the air and don’t let any of them get past us! Kakashi, um…” She hesitated, looking to her old mentor guiltily. “Well, I...I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be ordering you and Sai around...”

“You and I have offense.” Kakashi finished for her, smiling through his mask. “Let’s go, Sakura.”

Sakura felt relief, and then determination. Quickly, she flew through a series of hand signs before slamming both of her fists to the ground. She felt earth chakra flow over her hands, pulling dirt and rock with it until both of her fists were encased in a solid layer. As she did this, she saw Kakashi fly over her, already engaging with one of them. Behind her, Sai had drawn out a large bird, ink bringing the creature to life in a splash beneath him. And, as always, Gaara was there by her side, sand already flowing out from his ‘scroll’, ready to protect her. 

She wasn’t alone. She was stronger. She could  _ do _ this.

She pushed chakra to her feet and let herself leap forward, slamming her right fist into one of the demons’ face. She felt the blow connect, and saw the face distort with the power of her blow, but even as the demon staggered, it didn’t fall. Fuu hadn’t been wrong. Sakura had broken rock with her punches before, and this thing was still  _ standing _ . She would have to get a bit more creative.

The demon lashed out at her in response, and Sakura didn’t even flinch. She knew she could count on Gaara, and sure enough she saw sand form a protective shell on her left side, blocking her from the demon’s hand. At the same time, she saw a small ink bird fly into the demon’s eyes, once again blinding it. Sai had already started with long range support, which gave them an opportunity.

“Gaara, hold it down!” She called out. One blow wasn’t enough to kill it, but maybe…

Sakura waited, holding her breath for the brief second it took for Gaara’s sand to snake up around the demon’s legs. She pulled both of her arms straight back behind her, and once the demon was secured, she threw her arms forward in an arc. Simultaneously, her fists slammed against the sides of the demon’s head, crushing it between them. She watched as the head caved with a sickening crunch...but there was no blood, no viscera, almost more like she’d just pounded on clay. However, after the blow had hit, the demon fell to the ground and moved no more. 

One down. She’d need to hit them hard, but she’d already proven she could  _ do  _ it. 

“Sakura, northeast!”

She heard Sai’s voice call out, and as she glanced in the direction he mentioned, she saw one of the demons sprinting away. She let her rock gauntlets fall off for the moment, granting her the dexterity to use hand signs. Next to her, she saw Gaara slam his hands to the ground, creating a wall of solid sand that stopped the demon in its tracks. Another opening for her. Quickly, her hands flew, and as she put her own hand to the ground she focused on the demon’s location, visualizing in her mind the density and thickness of the earth, how much chakra she would have to use, and picturing, not a pillar, but a  _ spike _ . Earth shot up from the ground in front of the demon, and pierced its chest clean through. The demon twitched, and it moved no more.

Two down.

Sakura turned to scan the area. By the look of things, Kakashi had already taken down two of his own, and Fuu had wrapped up two more in what looked to be a web-like substance. (Not dead, but disabled.) That left two more to finish off. With another call out from Sai, Sakura saw one of them heading towards her from her right. It was time, she decided, to test out a new move that Onoki had taught her. She went through several more hand signs, this time letting her chakra flow through her body and into the ground. It was a connection, like Shukaku had told her, and with that connection she could shape the earth how she willed it. Quickly, smoothly, the earth at her feet formed sharp spikes, and with a push of her chakra she sent a dozen of them flying towards the demon in front of her. A few missed, but enough hit to stop the demon dead in its tracks. 

Three down by her hand, and it wasn’t long before Kakashi had neutralized the final one with a well placed Chidori. That had been…

Easy.

Sakura grinned, folding her arms as she surveyed the battlefield. Not a single one of her party had gotten hurt, the demons had been taken care of, and Fuu had two  _ live _ ones caught in her web.

“With you guys here, we can wrap these freaks up and take them back to Taki to study!” Fuu told them, punching the air with a small whoop. “I don’t think we’ve had live ones in  _ years _ . And you guys can take one of these bodies to show the other villages proof that they exist!”

Sai, at least, had a storage scroll big enough to do just that. And even if he was planning on sending it straight to Root, that still meant Konoha would have proof enough. And if Konoha could be convinced...so could other villages. 

This could...this could work  _ out _ .

Now all she had to do was convince Taki that she was here to help.

“Come on, Pinkie.” Fuu slapped her heartily on the shoulder, the strength of it almost causing Sakura to buckle. “Shibuki will definitely want to meet with you now that you’ve helped me out. Help me carry these fucks back home, will ya?”

Sakura glanced back at the two surviving demons, unable to even struggle under the strength of Fuu’s jutsu.

This...this had to be a good sign of things to come.

Didn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Next week we'll be in Taki proper, so stay tuned!
> 
> This fic also hit 20k views this past week, so I want to once again thank all my readers for their support. It's hard to believe the milestones I've hit, and your praises are honestly humbling. I hope I can continue to live up to your expectations!))


	36. Chapter 36

_ Fifth Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact _

_ It is prohibited to harm an ambassador to the pact in any way. Any person under the pact suspected guilty of this will be subject to a trial of both village peers and ambassadors. Upon proof of assault, said person will be subject to suitable punishment as decided upon by the jury, depending upon the severity of the assault. _

 

Sakura, Gaara, Sai, and Kakashi were the first foreign shinobi since Hashirama Senju to step foot in Takigakure, according to Fuu.

No pressure, of course.

Hashirama had come to Taki in order to seek out an alliance during the founding of the villages. The leader of Taki then had turned down the offer, after a heated argument between the two. It was the first Sakura had ever heard of it. There was nothing in the Konoha records about Hashirama’s meeting with Taki, only a footnote about how Taki preferred to remain solitary. The only reason Sakura knew about Taki at  _ all _ was due to the fact that they had a Jinchuuriki, and that the country’s boundaries had to be put on continental maps. It was only now, as she reached the village outskirts, that Sakura realized just how little she knew about these reclusive people. 

It was little wonder that invaders had typically experienced a hard time breaching the village. Just  _ finding _ it was something that Sakura wouldn’t have been able to do easily on her own, given the time and agency to explore. Deep within the Taki forests was a waterfall cascading in rivets down a mountainous ridge. The mountain itself was nowhere near as tall as any of Iwa’s, of course, but there were tunnels that ran deep beneath the mountain’s surface, and that was where Taki had built. The only entrance into these tunnels was through the waterfall itself, and once through the waterfall, a plethora of traps awaited anyone who didn’t know the exact right place to land or step. Sakura was sure to follow Fuu’s every step, noting that there were dozens of tripwires and seals on nearly every rock in the entrance. Beyond that, a squadron of shinobi guarded the entrance, only letting them pass once Fuu gave them the correct set of hand signals. Even then, Fuu had explaining to do. She’d left alone and come back with a contingent of foreign shinobi, carrying two live demons with them. One of the Taki shinobi went off immediately to inform their leader, Shibuki, and the others immediately restrained Sakura and her crew. It was precaution, of course, and Fuu went out of her way to assure them that, assuming they behaved, the restraints would be gone soon enough.

It was with that that they were marched deep into the mountain, and Sakura laid eyes on Takigakure for the first time.

The caves were vaster than she could have imagined, lit with both massive torches and small beams of sunlight from holes in the mountainside. Even though it was technically underground, it was bright enough that it seemed like daylight. What was even stranger, however, was the presence of plants so deep into the mountain. Large moss beds decorated the ground like grass, mushrooms with a faint luminescence decorated the cave walls, and the most fascinating of all, so fascinating that it left Sakura almost dumbstruck, was the presence of a  _ massive _ tree.

And Sakura  _ knew _ massive trees, she had grown up in what she’d thought was the biggest damn forest in the continent, yet this tree still managed to impress her in terms of sheer girth and height, not counting, of course, that it was growing  _ underground _ . Surrounding the tree was an underground lake that sparkling under torch and sunlight, with small rivers that spiraled across the town itself. Sakura saw watermills and gardens that seemed to float on the rivers themselves, and even saw free roaming deer herds grazing on the moss beds below. It was a whole city here, hidden beneath the mountain, and if she’d just been passing by she’d never have been able to  _ conceive _ what Taki had created down here. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Sakura wasn’t sure she’d have been able to believe it.

The waterfall passage led to a set of stone stairs that wound their way down into the village proper. Sakura caught sight of civilians and shinobi alike staring her way, though it was more in awe and surprise rather than fear or anger. Children came rushing up to get a glance at her, only to be shooed away by her guards. Most of the shinobi there were as brown as Fuu, but with hair colors ranging from white to a light teal. In a way, the Taki people looked almost ethereal. It was little wonder that Sakura and her crew got stares; it was almost extreme how different they looked from the Taki residents. 

After a long walk through the stone houses that made up the village, they reached the lakeside, and from there Sakura could see a winding path of stones that made their way to the base of the giant tree. It was to the tree she was taken, though along the way Sakura couldn’t help but take note of several fluorescent insects that darted across the water’s edge. Dragonflies, mostly, though there were other breeds that skimmed the lake surface until they were snatched up by the jaws of one of the many bats flying overhead. 

Would any of her friends believe what she was seeing? Sakura briefly thought of how Naruto would react to a place like this, and the image of him enthusiastically jumping into the lake crossed her mind. She suppressed a giggle. Even Onoki probably would have gotten wide eyes at the sight. Taki was  _ beautiful _ . 

Integrated into the base of the tree was a building, though it might have been a stretch to call it that. The more accurate description was that the trunk of the tree had been carved into, creating a hollow within where, Sakura would learn, the leader of Taki resided. Shibuki awaited them inside, and Sakura was surprised to see that he looked  _ young _ , maybe even younger than Kakashi was. His long hair draped down to his knees, and he wore a dark blue coat with a symbol that Sakura did not recognize embroidered upon it. For a brief moment, Sakura held her breath, unsure of how the Taki leader would react to her presence. However, the man was polite, even going so far as to give a short, but definitive bow as they approached.

“I’ve been informed that my shinobi has found cause to invite visitors to our village.” Shibuki spoke, looking over Sakura and the others with what looked to be a wary eye. “I see with my own eyes that you have brought two demons along with you. You may not realize, but such a gesture goes a long way here in Waterfall. That is the sole reason I have allowed you to have audience with me.” 

Sakura let herself exhale. So they’d gotten lucky, meeting up with Fuu in the woods as they had, and luckier still that they’d found demons along the way. “We’re exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to speak with you, sir. We’ve come here in peace, and to discuss ending some of the hostilities that have grown between the Hidden Villages. I hope you’ll hear me out.” Sakura gave a bow to Shibuki in turn, and was pleased when she saw her companions doing the same. 

“Respectful.” Shibuki commented with a nod. “I can appreciate that. As well as the sentiment of peace. But I notice that among you are two shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. In the past, Leaf has tried to sway us into alignment, and we have turned them away. What has convinced you that the answer will be different now?”

“Because…” Sakura glanced hesitantly over to Gaara. “Because...Gaara and myself, we are not affiliated with the Leaf. We are ambassadors to the Shinobi Neutrality Project. My other companions, Kakashi and Sai, have come along as a gesture of good faith, and to help demonstrate the legitimacy of the project. They are escorting us until we next pass through Leaf, after which they will no longer travel with me.” 

“I see.” Shibuki looked to her companions before glancing to her again. “And you are?”

“...S-Sakura Haruno, sir.” Sakura forced herself to bow again. “Head ambassador to the Neutrality Project.”

“I see.” Shibuki repeated. For a moment he was quiet, simply looking her in the eyes, and Sakura made sure to keep his gaze. She had nothing to hide, after all, her claims were legitimate. She was here for peace. She was here to  _ talk.  _

Then, after what seemed almost painfully too long a time, Shibuki gave his shinobi a series of quick hand signals. The shinobi next to Sakura pulled out a knife and quickly cut her restraints, then pushed her in Shibuki’s direction.

“Come.” Shibuki gestured. “I would speak with you alone.”

Sakura gulped, and follow Shibuki deeper into the hollow.

 

-

 

They went upward, following a carved portion of wood in a spiral around the interior of the tree. As they ascended, Sakura saw many scrolls hanging on the walls, each covered in artwork that tempted her to stop and look. Many of the scrolls depicted what Sakura could only describe as a massive beetle, sprouting six wings and long, thin tail. Sometimes the beetle looked to be in combat, often with other strange beasts of similar size. It was in one such depiction that Sakura recognized a large, nine-tailed fox. The Kyuubi. The beetle  _ had _ to be the Nanabi, then, the Bijuu that Taki was said to control. Six wings plus a tail added up to seven, she supposed, and she  _ had _ seen Fuu sport a lovely pair of chakra wings earlier.

As they got higher up, the nature of the artwork changed. Instead of beasts, Sakura saw scenery. Massive trees, one of which looked like the one they were currently walking in, but it was a different one that caught her eye. The tree had pink leaves, like a cherry blossom, and in every depiction it showed a long branch carrying a single fruit. Sometimes, beneath the strange tree, there was a woman with long, silver hair. 

The woman was beautiful, but strange. She had a pair of two thin horns sprouting from her forehead, and her eyes seemed to be made up of spirals. Forgetting herself, Sakura stopped in front of them briefly, in awe of the woman.

“That is the Lady Kaguya.” Shibuki explained, noticing Sakura’s pause. “In her time, she was considered a Goddess, but more truthfully she could be considered the Progenitor of Chakra. The Mother of all Shinobi.”

“I’ve never heard of her.” Sakura admitted. “I thought the Sage of Six Paths was the god of shinobi.”

“In a way, this is true.” Shibuki agreed. “After all, Kaguya was his mother. The child of a god could be considered a god in turn.”

“His mother…” Sakura whispered, awe in her voice as her eyes glanced over Kaguya once more. “She’s beautiful.”

“Indeed. But beauty can be deceiving.”

Sakura looked back to Shibuki, who was gesturing for her to move on. Though Sakura wanted to stay longer, she couldn’t refuse the leader of Taki. Reluctantly, she began her trek up the tree once again, but this time, Shibuki continued to speak.

“There are hundreds of stories of the Sage of Six Paths, but there are equally many stories of Kaguya here in Waterfall. None can agree on her origin, but what  _ is _ agreed upon is that Kaguya one day came upon a tree that had been alive since the planet could first sustain life. This tree, the great Chakra Tree, drew energy from the planet as nutrients, and every thousand years would produce a fruit that was said to bestow a terrible power upon those who devoured it. Kaguya ate of this fruit, and from it chakra was born inside her, chakra so massive that it would dwarf any shinobi of today. From her, two children were born, one of whom is your Sage of Six Paths. From these children were many more children born, and that is how chakra spread across the world, and how shinobi came to be.

“But there was darkness in Kaguya’s heart. She grew mad. There are many stories as to why. Some say she grew mad over the loss of her lover. Some say she grew jealous over the power her sons had gained, and feared they would one day overtake her rule. Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, Kaguya moved to take over the world in full, as well as take back the chakra that her boys had received from her. In her madness she transformed into a hideous beast of ten tails. The Juubi. The One-Eyed God.

“Her children fought against her for a month as she rampaged across the continent. In the end, they could not kill her. Her power was too vast, and upon death the energy within her would simply reform into the beast once more. So, the brothers did the only thing they could. They split the chakra of their mother into nine parts, and divided her consciousness with them. Split apart so, the Lady Kaguya was no more…”

“...and the nine Tailed Beasts were birthed in her place.” Sakura concluded, still just as wide-eyed as before as she considered the story. “That story seems…a little fantastical, I have to admit.”

“That is what Hashirama told my great-grandfather.” Shibuki admitted. “But of course, we have proof of the tale. For who better would know the truth of it than the Bijuu themselves?”

“You asked the Nanabi? And they  _ answered _ ?”

“Unlike other villages, our relationship with the Nanabi is one of mutual agreement. Chomei is our ally, and we are its in turn.”

A mutual alliance...Sakura wondered what that was like. Fuu did seem confident in her abilities as a Jinchuuriki, and unlike others she had met, Fuu didn’t seem ostracized at all. A village that respected Bijuu? It was...unique.

And she was almost  _ furious _ that it was.

“I think other villages could stand to have that sentiment in regards to their own Bijuu.” Sakura noted.

“And now you see the beginnings of Taki’s dissent.” Though it was so fast she almost missed it, Sakura saw a smile on Shibuki’s face.

The winding path finally led to a room in the upper part of the tree trunk. It was a small room, complete with a table, a few cabinets, and what looked to be a small kitchen. Shibuki gestured for her to sit at the table, and as she did the man went to the kitchen and began to work on making tea. It was cozy, and Sakura realized that she had probably just been invited into the man’s house. The leader of Taki was oddly personable, but she wasn’t going to complain. Was he this personable with all his shinobi, she wondered to herself. Surely a foreigner wouldn’t be allotted special treatment here.

“Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage of the Leaf, forcibly restrained seven of the nine Bijuu that roamed the continent. Bijuu that, until that moment, had lived in peaceful isolation from the rest of the world. Hashirama used their power to end the warring era, and then gave them out as slaves to each of the budding Hidden Villages. Barring Suna, who had already enslaved one of their own.” Shibuki spoke as began to mix tea leaves into a kettle of boiling water. “Hashirama, like many, believed the Bijuu to be simple animals who had accumulated chakra over time. He did not believe the tale of Kaguya or their origin, despite how relatively  _ easy _ it is to confirm. But of course, why would other shinobi go out of their way to speak with animals? They did not think it possible. They did not know. They abused that power to bring their people into power, and then had the gall to think that we of Waterfall would join them in such pursuits.” Shibuki took a deep breath before bringing two cups to the table. “We of Waterfall will not align ourselves with slavers. I hope, before you discuss your proposal to me, that you understand this of us.”

“I understand.” Sakura agreed. “And...I know you might find it hard to believe, but...we might be working for the same thing.”

“I told you before that you are here before me now because you aided my own.” Shibuki replied. “Though you did not have to, you acted. That alone gives me hope that, perhaps, the rest of the world might be starting to grow up.”

He poured her some tea, and then sat down across from her, still just as calm as before. It was enough to even put Sakura at ease.

“Tell me about yourself, Sakura Haruno. And tell me about your…’project’.” 

Sakura took a deep breath and began to speak. 

She began with Akatsuki. Someone so vested in the well being of the Tailed Beasts was sure to be sympathetic to the cause that was preventing Akatsuki’s success, and really, Akatsuki was where everything had begun. Sakura had left home to find out more, had recruited Gaara through this pursuit of knowledge, and around Shibuki she felt at ease enough to inform him that Gaara was a Jinchuuriki as well, and not only that, both of them had spoken with Shukaku.

“Shukaku is very upset with the world.” Sakura explained. “And I suppose he has every right to be. Enslaved is the only way to put it, forced to give power to humans who treat him like a battery. It took a few conversations before he even remotely started treating us civilly, but...right now he’s teaching Gaara taijutsu. Gaara says they talk every day, and I think Gaara could be a really good example of a proper relationship between a Bijuu and a human. I don’t know if it’s going to be possible to get the villages to give up their hold on their Bijuu all at once. The villages still view them as weapons,  _ necessary _ weapons to keep on hold to prevent other villages from invading. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start setting an example. We can start to show people that Bijuu  _ aren’t _ weapons, they’re living beings with thoughts and feelings and wants and needs, and that they can live in harmony with people as long as they’re respected. Gaara can be such an example...but  _ Taki _ can be that example too, don’t you think? You claim to live in harmony with Chomei. If the other villages see that too, well, they might start to think twice.” Sakura reached into her pouch, pulling out her draft of the Neutrality Pact and pushing over to Shibuki’s side of the table. “All villages are considered equal under the pact, with equal voice. You, combined with Gaara, can be a voice for the rights of Bijuu. We can change the way the world works, but we have to  _ start _ .”

“A naive sentiment. But not necessarily a bad one.” Shibuki began to look over the draft, his eyes rapidly moving across the pages. “You will forgive me, though, for being wary. Hashirama once came preaching similar sentiment. Though you have my interest in regards to rights for the Bijuu, I have no guarantee that you nor I will be able to bend other villages to this way of thinking. Words are just words, not actions, and I cannot monitor every village at once to see how they treat their Bijuu.”

“That is what ambassadors will be for.” Sakura pointed out. “At some point I’ll...I’ll have to recruit more people to  _ be _ ambassadors, and we can set up a system that will allow ambassadors to cycle through the villages and see that pact standards are being met.”

“And if they’re not?” Shibuki questioned. “How will villages be punished?”

“Removal from the pact, which I admit doesn’t sound like too huge a threat. But part of what the Tsuchikage and I tried to set up is that leaving the pact forfeits the right to trading with villages  _ in _ the pact. Trading that many villages rely upon for both a thriving economy. The pact is intended to usher in peace, but there are other factors involved. If you’re not in the pact, if you’re invaded, nobody in the pact will lift a finger to help you. That sort of thing. We wanted to make sure there were benefits to being a part of the pact, benefits that will outweigh any potential cons to signing in.”

“A lot of thought has gone into this, I see.”

“You could say that.”

“Good. I wouldn’t take you seriously otherwise.” Shibuki slid the draft back to Sakura before returning to his tea. “Though I will not sign this so quickly.”

“I wouldn’t expect it, Lord Shibuki.” Sakura replied. “It is a very big matter to consider.”

“I will need to speak with you a lot more before I consider it in full. But more importantly, there is something that needs to happen immediately.”

“Anything, just name it.”

“I must speak with Shukaku myself. I would like to hear what  _ he _ has to think of this project.”

“...ah.”

Oh  _ shit _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Today's episode of SBATC is brought to you by Disney's Atlantis.
> 
> A bit of a jump in topic from my usual, but I am considering starting a side project. I've been a bit inspired by the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, and I'm considering doing a KH fanfic in a similar vein to SBATC, Kairi-centric. SBATC would take priority, of course, and weekly updates would not be affected by the side project at all. I'm thinking, if I do it, monthly updates for the KH fic, unless I have time to update more quickly. If any of you readers are interested in such a thing, please voice it! If I do see interest, that means I'll definitely start it. :)
> 
> As always, thanks again for your support!))


	37. Chapter 37

_ Sixth Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact _

_ Any person, civilian or shinobi, from any village, has the right to join the Neutrality Project as an ambassador, or as support to the ambassadors. Any person who invokes their right to join shall face no retaliation from their home village. However, a person with a criminal record shall not be allowed to join the Project without appropriate sponsorship from both a member of their village and a member of the Project. _

 

“He wants to talk to  _ Shukaku _ ?”

Sakura couldn’t fault Gaara for his look of disbelief. The cranky old Bijuu wasn’t friendly on the best of days, downright murderous on the worst. It was nothing short of miracle that somehow Gaara had managed to get on the tanuki’s good side, and even then Sakura was sure the boy was walking the fine line between begrudging respect and another all out battle of wills between the two. And despite that, despite all of Sakura’s warnings to Shibuki…

“Yes, he  _ really _ wants to talk to Shukaku.” Sakura insisted. “He’s insisted that he doesn’t want to trust our word on your relationship, or what our intentions are. He thinks Shukaku will be more honest with him.”

“...is he sure  _ what _ kind of honesty he’s looking for? Shukaku’s always been a bit…” Gaara suddenly winced, a sign Sakura had come to note meant that Shukaku had yelled something crass in Gaara’s mind. “...blunt.” 

“He’s sure.” Sakura replied, giving a small sigh as she plopped down into a chair. “He won’t move forward with any sort of negotiation until he does. I hate to put this on you, Gaara, but-”

“Don’t.” Gaara shook his head. “I’m part of this too. All it means is that I’ll be able to pull my weight.”

“Who said you weren’t pulling your weight?”

“I’ve protected you. But I’ve stood by and let you handle negotiations until now. If I want to help you with this, I need to learn how to speak with others. It’s...a skill I lack.”

“Not by your choice.”

“But a skill I lack nonetheless.”

“...maybe so.” Sakura huffed. “There’s another caveat though. Shibuki doesn’t want you to serve as a mediator. He has no way of knowing that you’re actually conveying Shukaku’s words. Supposedly he has a way of communicating with Shukaku directly, with your cooperation, and  _ that’s _ what worries me.”

“Worries?” Sai spoke up suddenly, having been quiet until then. “Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to learn how Taki handles Bijuu?”

“That’s not why we’re  _ here _ .” Sakura argued. “And what if it involves releasing Shukaku in some way?  _ I  _ don’t have a guarantee that Shukaku won’t go on another rampage if he’s given an opportunity.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be proving to Shibuki that you’re  _ friends _ with your Bijuu?”

“Yes, Sai, and that is the goddamn  _ problem _ because I don’t know if we really  _ are _ .” Sakura fumed. “So...Gaara, I know  _ you’re _ okay with doing this. But what does Shukaku even think about this whole ordeal anyway?”

Gaara was quiet, listening. A minute passed, and then another. Then, Gaara gave a small shrug.

“He says it...would be fun to get to terrorize someone other than me.”

“ _ Great _ .” Sakura rolled her eyes. “Just great.” 

Their relationship with Taki hinged on a centuries old being of chakra who, as far as she was aware, hated the guts of every member of humanity. It hinged on whatever tentative relationship Gaara had managed to form with the beast in the few months he’d been away from Suna. At the end of the day...it was out of her hands, it was out of Gaara’s hands, and until it was done, all she could do was  _ wait _ . 

It was another hour of sitting about in the small hut that had been designated for them before a pair of Taki shinobi came for Gaara. Sakura gave the boy a long hug before letting him go, wishing him luck, then watched as he and the shinobi made their way back into the bulk of the city. Emi left as well, trotting along after her favorite member of the party, and then it was just her, Kakashi, and Sai, for however long it took for Shibuki to get what he needed to know.

What she needed was a distraction. Onoki had told her once that her mind liked to latch onto problems and fixate until the problem was taken care of. It was why she still thought of Sasuke and Naruto, why this neutrality project kept her up at night, why the mere  _ thought _ of Akatsuki could send her spiraling into a series of anxious worrying. 

So what  _ was _ a problem that she could solve? 

There  _ was _ one thing on her list, one thing that had been briefly mentioned before they’d been whisked away into Taki proper. The ‘ten out of ten’ secret Gaara had mentioned before, one that could threaten the safety of the party, one that most definitely involved…

Sai.

But how to approach that problem?

It was possible Kakashi knew...no, more like highly  _ probable _ that Kakashi knew exactly what the secret was, but getting information out of Kakashi was notoriously harder than pulling teeth. He was already enthralled in one of his books, likely more than entertained for the next few hours…

Plus, Sakura  _ really _ wanted Sai to be the one to tell her himself. 

She’d learned a few interrogation techniques in her time at the shinobi academy, some meant to be more torturous, others meant to be more discrete. Kunoichi in particular were taught many techniques for swindling information out of men...and Sakura was certain that absolutely  _ none _ of them would work on the Root shinobi. She certainly couldn’t  _ seduce _ information out of him. She wasn’t even sure Sai had it in him to be attracted to someone, and if he did, he’d pushed it down into the void where the rest of his emotions had been buried. So really, all she had left were a few techniques for ‘friendly banter’, and then if those didn’t work she was back at square one.

Well, no better time than now to start practicing her diplomatic techniques. As Gaara put it, speaking with others had become a fast requirement for her new position. 

Sai was drawing, as he usually defaulted to whenever there was down time and he wasn’t on watch. Sakura let herself sit down nearby, slowly scooting closer until Sai stopped and gave her a side-eye.

“Can I watch?” Sakura asked, trying her best to seem pleasant. 

“Why would you want to?”

“You’re a good artist.” Sakura answered truthfully. “It’s kind of neat to see how you can bring things to life with your brush. Well...figuratively  _ and _ literally. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever really asked about your technique.”

“I would hope it is because you’d know that I have no intention of telling you anything about it.”

“I don’t mean tell me how it  _ works _ .” Sakura rolled her eyes. “Besides, even if you did tell me, I’m a horrible artist. Anything I draw would probably just trip and fall the instant I brought it to life.”

“So why do you care about the technique then?”

“Maybe I’m just curious about  _ you _ .” Sakura let the conversation turn around. Make it about him. Give him reason to talk about himself. “Did you learn the technique from someone or did you make it? I don’t really know anyone in the village who does anything like this, so I’m tempted to think it’s the latter.”

“...you would be correct.” Sai turned back to his art, sketching as he spoke, and Sakura noticed his voice had...softened? Perhaps that was it. “When I was young, I was brought into Root. One of the first things we were taught was seal-work. Converting energy through written symbols in order to produce an effect.”

“So wait, this is like a  _ seal _ ?” Sakura asked, skeptical. “But this is a drawing, not a symbol.”

“What do you think a symbol  _ is _ ? It’s a series of lines that convey an idea. A drawing is no different.” Sai turned a page in his book, showing Sakura a blank page, before beginning to draw. First, he wrote, simply putting the word ‘bird’ on the page. “This symbol invokes the idea of a bird...but it’s not complete. It could mean any bird, and that bird could have any purpose.” Then, Sai drew, quickly sketching out the linework for what looked to be a small sparrow. “This symbol also invokes the idea of a bird, but the details are filled in quicker by your mind. You know what kind of bird. The size. The shape. Inherently, the potential speed and strength as well. Words are simple. That’s why seals often require dozens of words in order to bring an intent to life.”

“But your drawings only need the  _ drawing _ !” Sakura let out a small gasp. “Sai that is  _ so _ smart!”

“...there’s more to it than that, obviously. But you grasp the idea.” Sai admitted, turning back to his original drawing. 

“It’s a cool idea.” Sakura insisted. “Root must really put a lot of value in how you think. Sealwork like that is honestly revolutionary, Sai.”

Sai was quiet, and then Sakura noticed it. Hesitation. A small grimace that was so brief, she could have missed it if she’d blinked.

“...yes.” Sai answered, his voice still just as passive as always. “Root considers my skills quite valuable. Hence why I should not talk about it further.”

“That’s fine. I was just curious.” Sakura’s mind had begun to move, working through what she knew in her head. Root...the secret had to do with Root.

“...Sai, doesn’t Root need you in Konoha, if you’re so valuable? Not that I  _ want _ you to leave, but...if they need you, shouldn’t you stop wasting time with me?”

Sakura noticed that Kakashi had stopped reading his book, his one eye glancing over in their direction. She was right, this  _ did _ have to do with Root. Was she treading carefully enough? Would Sai come clean?

“My mission is to investigate you.”

“You’ve been investigating me several months. What more do they need to know? I’m trying to be as open as possible to everyone, if there’s something you haven’t figured out yet, you just have to ask and I’ll tell you.”

Sai was quiet at this, too damn quiet, and then suddenly something clicked within Sakura. The answer, the  _ reason _ the safety of their party might suddenly be in jeopardy.

“...Sai, how long has it been since Root asked you to come home?”

Sai’s brush stopped, and his fingers twitched, gripping the handle with what almost looked like an anxious strength. When he spoke again, his voice was so quiet that Sakura almost missed it.

“A month ago.”

A month. A month ago they’d still been in Iwa, she’d still been  _ training _ , and Sai had chosen…

Sai had chosen to stay with  _ her _ ?

Sakura glanced over at Kakashi, who looked unusually solemn. Of course he’d known about it, but how long had he been keeping this secret? And  _ why _ keep it a secret? Was he  _ still _ trying not to worry her after all this damn time? Hadn’t he  _ learned _ , hadn’t he  _ seen _ what keeping her out of it had led to? She wouldn’t have  _ been _ here if others had involved her, if people hadn’t kept their problems to themselves, she wouldn’t have  _ done _ all this if people had just  _ talked _ .

She took a deep breath. This wasn’t about her. This...this was about Sai right now. Sai who had chosen to disobey the organization that had essentially raised him, doing what essentially amounted to ‘going rogue’, all…

All to stay with her.

Sakura put a hand on Sai’s shoulder, noticing how harshly he flinched from the simple touch. 

“It’s fine.” She insisted aloud. “We take things one step at a time, alright? But we do it together.” 

“No.” Sai shook his head. “The simple truth is that Root will kill me for what I have done, and if you get involved, they will find a way to kill you too. It’s better you forget about what I’ve told you.”

“Are you kidding me? I can’t just  _ forget _ . And I  _ won’t _ let them kill you. They  _ can’t _ , remember? Haven’t you read the treaty?” Sakura suddenly grinned. “Any civilian or shinobi can choose to join the project without retaliation from their home village. And Konoha’s signed it. If Root tries to harm you for leaving, they risk throwing the whole alliance into jeopardy. Lady Tsunade would never stand for that.” 

“They’ll find a way.” Sai repeated. “You underestimate Root.”

“No.” Sakura replied.

“Root underestimates  _ me _ .”

 

-

 

The Chamber of the Beast was dark and damp and covered in more symbols than Gaara had ever seen in his life. 

It was here, Shibuki told him, that Taki had traditionally communicated with Choumei, the Seven-Tailed Bijuu that had lived in harmony with the village for generations. Choumei was different than the other Bijuu it in that it willing chose a human as its host, forming a sort of symbiosis to keep the village safe and bring an end to any demons that tried to cross their borders. Once it had chosen a human to reside in, however, it made communication to any beside the host incredibly difficult. A Bijuu could not risk leaving a host without killing them, once the host’s body had become accustomed to the increase in chakra reserves. Thus, Taki had developed a way to share a mindspace with Bijuu and host, allowing communication between them. This chamber housed the method, and the seals on the walls brought the method to life. 

“You need not worry about your seal being damaged by this technique.” Shibuki assured Gaara as he led him to the center of the chamber. “I have no intention on causing unnecessary loss in life. You did not choose the life of a Jinchuuriki, and you will not suffer needlessly for it.”

It was a bit of a relief. Gaara was willing to put his life on the line for Sakura...but for this treaty? He’d hesitate. 

Shibuki instructed him to sit down in a particular spot before sitting down across from him. Three Taki shinobi took positions in the room, waiting for Shibuki’s signal.

“We’ll begin when you and Shukaku are ready.”

But  _ were _ they ready?

**Oh,** **_I’m_ ** **ready, brat. You can tell that bastard that I-**

“We’re ready.” Gaara spoke up, not quite wanting to hear what Shukaku wanted passed on. He’d be able to tell Shibuki himself, soon enough. 

“Close your eyes and get comfortable. If you can, retreat into the mindspace that you and Shukaku share. I will meet you there.”

Gaara closed his eyes and returned to the familiar landscape that was Shukaku’s prison.

The tanuki looked eager, which had never been a good sign in the past. 

“ **It’s been a long time since I’ve directly spoken with anyone other than you or that Kyuubi brat.** ” Shukaku admitted with a short laugh. “ **And that Shibuki looks like fresh meat if I’ve ever seen any.** ”

“Please, Shukaku.” Gaara pleaded. “The future of this shinobi alliance might hinge on how you speak with Lord Shibuki. If you  _ really _ want humanity to improve, this is the first step. What you say here will-”

“ **Hush, brat. He’s here.** ” 

Shibuki appeared in the mindscape quietly, like a wisp of smoke instantly taking form. He looked around curiously, taking in his surroundings before letting his eyes rest upon Shukaku. Gaara noticed a look of sympathy in the man’s eyes.

“These chains…” Shibuki said aloud. “Lord Shukaku, it is simply deplorable how Sunagakure has treated you. On behalf of humanity, I would apologize for your treatment.”

Then, Shibuki got to his knees and bowed low before the Bijuu. Briefly, this seemed to even shock Shukaku. Gaara was certain the tanuki wasn’t used to  _ this _ sort of treatment, especially not from anyone in Sunagakure. But the shock passed, quickly, and soon Shukaku was giggling, then laughing heartily as though Shibuki had just told the funniest joke he’d ever heard in his life.

“ ** _You_** **would like to apologize?** ” Shukaku wheezed. “ **Do you think your apology actually means anything to me? You intrude into my host’s mind demanding to speak with me and me alone, and then you have the gall to act humble? Don’t toy with me.** ” Shukaku spat sand onto the ground, a look of disgust now on his face. “ **If you were truly sorry, your people would have done more to advocate for my freedom. Instead, you sorry lot have wallowed in your cave, pretending to be martyrs when really you’re too cowardly to do anything but preach.** ”

Shibuki looked up, baffled at Shukaku’s sudden outburst. “Lord Shukaku, our village has never had the manpower needed to confront the other villages. We would have been slaughtered if we’d attempted to free you from Suna.”

“ **Always fighting with you humans. Always war and killing and bloodshed. There’s really no teaching the lot of you.** ” Shukaku leaned down to meet Shibuki at eye level, giving the man something that Sakura might have called a ‘shit-eating grin’. “ **Tell me, little human...why is it that a child without even half your knowledge or experience has done more to bring your kind together than anyone who has ever lived in your village for the past hundred years?** ”

“Well, you mean-”

“ **Tell me, why is it when this child comes to you offering peace, offering a way for villages to communicate, offering you a way to spread your knowledge about my brethren** **_and_ ** **those ‘demons’ that plague your borders, you didn’t immediately jump at the opportunity?** ”

“How can we trust them?” Shibuki almost gasped in outburst. “For years these shinobi have used your kind to squabble with each other. We’ve tried to tell them these things for  _ years _ and they have not listened. Why would they listen to us now? Why should now be any different?”

“ **Why have** **_you_ ** **stopped trying?** ” 

Shukaku huffed out a large gust of wind, blowing black sand around in spirals of air as he settled. “ **This brat of mine here had given up on humanity, once** .  **He took my vicious words to heart and declared war against his own kind. He only felt alive when killing. More monstrous than any beast, until a simple boy from the Leaf decided not to give up, not to stand by and let my brat hurt those he cared about. That boy fought until he was bloody and broken, until he couldn’t even** **_stand_ ** **. I’d never seen such determination before. Everyone else in the world had determined this brat here to be a lost cause. There was no saving him. No curing him of his monstrous madness. But the Leaf boy** **_refused_ ** **to give up. And wouldn’t you know it, that damned boy got through and now this brat is an** **_insufferable_ ** **little git, only thinking about redeeming himself, only thinking about helping** **_Sakura_ ** **.** ” Shukaku made a retching sound as he spoke. “ **It’s enough to make me sick, seeing a human be so hopelessly kind. My stomach just isn’t used to the concept. So tell me,** **_human_ ** **...do you think your kind are a lost cause? Is there no saving them from their own stupidity?** ”

“...no, Lord Shukaku.” Shibuki bowed his head. “Your wisdom holds weight, and I...I will take it to heart.” 

“ **Then** **_get out of here and start trying_ ** **.** ”

In less than a moment, Shibuki faded into smoke, and they were alone. Gaara let out the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

“Shukaku…”

“ **Don’t dwell on it, you little shit. I’m not doing this for you.** ” Shukaku insisted, closing his eyes and rolling onto his back. 

“Then who are you doing it for?”

“ **...an old friend.** ”

Gaara awoke back in the chamber with Emi sitting calmly in his lap. Shibuki was awake as well, deep in thought. 

“Well, Gaara...I believe I have much to discuss with Sakura Haruno.”

“Yes.” Gaara agreed. “I believe you do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Apologies for the delay in update. I have no excuse this time. I was just tired. :P
> 
> There's been enough of a positive response that I have officially started working on a Kairi-centric Kingdom Hearts fic. :) I've got a lot of planning to work out before I start working on chapters, but I'll make a small announcement here when I have posted it.
> 
> Thank you all again for your continued support!))


	38. Sparks (Intermission Part Seven)

“What do you see?”

Shikamaru’s voice was barely a whisper. They were slightly over half a kilometer away from the small orphanage, far beyond the hearing capacity of any shinobi even  _ with _ chakra enhancements, and, assuming Root hadn’t managed to recruit a Hyuga, far beyond anyone’s visual capacity as well. Hinata had claimed that she could stretch the limits of her Byakugan to about a kilometer’s worth of vision, but he wasn’t going to test that theory and put her under unnecessary strain. This was reconnaissance, and even he had no way of predicting what could go possibly go wrong here. He was treading unknown territory against an unknown enemy. He didn’t expect it to come to a fight. But even he could only predict so far.

“N-nothing out of the ordinary, Shikamaru.” Hinata answered, looking far more nervous than usual. Shikamaru didn’t blame her. This request was strange, and he’d insisted upon secrecy. “The boy you mentioned is playing outside in the grass. There’s a couple of other kids nearby. And...a woman is sitting at the porch, watching. I b-believe she is the owner.”

“Dark hair in a bun? Green dress?”

“Yes, that’s the one.” Hinata nodded. “Shikamaru, do you...do you think she’s hurting the children?”

“No.” Shikamaru answered. “That’s not what this is about.” 

“Oh.”

Silence fell over the two, and Shikamaru waited. 

And waited.

And waited.

The nice thing about Hinata was that she knew how to keep quiet and still. Kurenai had trained her team in tracking and recon, so he’d known that this sort of mission was one that Hinata would be used to. Quietly watching, waiting, gathering information, hoping for the right opportunity...this was  _ one _ of the reasons he’d asked Hinata to come along, but not the only one. 

Eventually, Shikamaru was drawn from his thoughts. Hinata had seen something.

“There’s...someone in the trees nearby. I can’t make out their face. They’re wearing something...I-I think it’s an Anbu mask?”

“Damn it all.” 

It was the proof he’d been looking for, proof he’d desperately been hoping not to find. Even after everything Sakura had told him, even after a month of investigating, Shikamaru had  _ hoped _ that all of this would be unfounded nonsense. He didn’t want to believe that something so heinous could be going on within the walls of his village, the village that he’d sworn to protect and keep safe, the village that he  _ loved _ (even if he would never admit something so troublesome out loud).

But here it was. A Root agent had come to this orphanage, no doubt scouting out a boy that Shikamaru had seen to have a fair bit of intelligence for someone his age. Was he chakra sensitive? That, Shikamaru did not know, but the presence of the agent made the option fairly likely. 

Shikamaru had never seen anyone scouting out the boy before, but he’d needed to be within normal eye range to keep an eye on him. Obviously a Root agent would see him skulking around and wait until he’d left to do anything unseemly. Now that Shikamaru wasn’t nearby, the agent would think the coast clear, the area safe. 

Hopefully, the agent wouldn’t suspect that Shikamaru had recruited living binoculars. 

“He’s moved…” Hinata relayed what she saw. “Down the tree...h-he’s really fast but I think he’s heading towards...oh!” She let out a small gasp. “S-Shikamaru, he just grabbed that boy!”

Shikamaru slapped a hand over Hinata’s mouth. “Keep your voice down. We don’t know if there’s others around.”

Hinata quietly nodded, continuing to watch despite the growing horror on her face. Eventually, as Shikamaru pulled his hand away, she spoke again in a whisper. “I don’t know where he took the boy. H-he’s out of my range. W-we should tell someone, Shikamaru, we need to-”

“There’s no one we can tell. Not yet.” Shikamaru put a finger to his lips before gesturing for Hinata to follow him. “Not here.”

There was only one place that was safe. Only one place where Root would dare not go. If  _ anyone _ was found trespassing in his family’s woods...it would mean certain death. Shikamaru hoped not even Danzo was foolhardy enough to send his minions there.

Under the shade of his favorite tree, Shikamaru finally allowed them to rest. Hinata was breathing heavy as she sat down, still processing the weight of what she’d seen.

“It’s...t-this has been happening a while, hasn’t it?”

“Longer than it ever should have been allowed.” Shikamaru agreed. “What I’m going to tell you can never be talked about outside of this forest, understand? Not until this is done.”

“Shikamaru…”

“I asked you to help me for several reasons, Hinata. One is because of your Byakugan. Two, your extensive training under Kurenai in information gathering. Three, because you’re one of the Nine, and I know I can trust you with this. But most importantly, more important than any of those other reasons…” Shikamaru took a deep breath. “Because you’re the heiress to the Hyuga clan, which means that  _ they _ can’t possibly touch you without starting some sort of civil war.”

“Shikamaru, who’s  _ they _ ?”

“They’re called Root.”

And Shikamaru began to explain.

It had started with Sakura, of course, troublesome girl that she was, but the spark had started in his mind and had spread into a private investigation that had engulfed his waking hours. When he wasn’t running missions with his team, he was looking into Root. Finding evidence, proof, even just small wisps of the organization that he could compile into something substantial. He’d investigated each of the village’s small orphanages, finding, of course, no trace of children ever having been missing and never found again: Root was too good to leave that trace. But on accident, he stumbled upon a tidbit, a  _ reason _ to find no evidence, and that tidbit was perhaps something only someone like him would have caught wind of.

One day, a girl was at an orphanage. The next day, missing.

Upon disguising himself and questioning the matron, he was told lies. There had never been a girl like that before, he’d  _ had _ to have been mistaken. There was nothing else to it.

Root was getting the matrons to cover their tracks. Shikamaru was certain now that if he inquired after the boy that had been taken today, he’d find no trace of the boy’s existence. Root recruited orphans, urchins that wouldn’t be missed. Urchins that could be trained into perfect soldiers.

And now  _ Hinata _ had seen it as well. 

“I don’t know if they’re bold enough to go after clan children.” Shikamaru admitted. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. Still, clan heirs like you and I would obviously be far off their radar, since they don’t want to fall  _ under _ everyone else’s, which means that we’re the safest people to investigate. Anything happens to us, there’s going to be a full scale investigation, and Root can’t afford that.”

“Y-you’re really sure that Root exists? It’s not someone just...just pretending to throw you off their tracks?”

“I have proof of Root’s existence. Sakura Haruno is currently traveling with an agent of theirs, among other things. They’re real, Hinata, and they’ve  _ been _ real. They recruit children and brainwash them into perfect soldiers. Not just Konoha children either. According to Sakura, they’ve stolen children from other villages too.”

Hinata let out another gasp at this, covering her mouth as she did so. “Shikamaru, why does Lady Tsunade allow this?” 

“I doubt she has the ability to confront them directly. As far as I’m aware, Root was probably legitimately formed by one of the previous Kage. I’d wager the Second or the Third. Tsunade may not even know half of what Root gets up to, only that they’re willing to do the dirty work that she can’t afford to let anyone else do. I also have a theory that whoever is leading Root is someone  _ very _ high up. Someone that would be very difficult to move against even with a solid case.” Shikamaru leaned back against the trunk of his tree, staring up at the leaves above as he talked. It was nice, he realized, to finally be able to get his thoughts off his chest. Nice to finally be able to talk to someone,  _ anyone _ , about what he had found.

“Konoha is...broken.” 

Shikamaru blinked, not expecting those words from Hinata. She looked sheepish, but continued nonetheless.

“I-It’s like my own clan. There’s such a harsh divide between Branch and Main...a-and it’s all because of tradition. Nobody ever tries to change how things are, and if they do, they’re...t-taken care of. Konoha is the same way. Nobody tries to change things. A-and now I know why. If Root does what you say, then they can just...they can just take care of whoever speaks against them or moves against them. I don’t even know what w-we can do, Shikamaru.” 

“Me neither.” Shikamaru admitted. “It’s such a  _ drag _ , knowing about all this. I certainly can’t challenge Root on my own, and you can’t challenge your whole family.”

“...N-Naruto would.”

Shikamaru remained quiet. He’d known for a good while now that Hinata was sweet on the blonde terror; it was obvious to anyone with more than one brain cell. It was predictable, albeit in a kind of sweet way, that Hinata would think of him when confronted with a problem.

“Naruto wouldn’t think about how hard it would be. He would just...h-he would just  _ do _ it.”

“Yeah.” Shikamaru agreed. “He probably would.”

“A-and you’re trying too, aren’t you? If you thought it was hopeless, you wouldn’t be talking to me about it right now.”

...girls really were troublesome. Especially when they were  _ right _ .

“...I’m thinking of forming a team. Only with people we can trust. People who are low risk when it comes to retaliation from Root. Clan heirs, well known shinobi with good reputation, and...the closer to our age the better. If they’re too much older, they might be more loyal to the system than to any concept of justice.”

“The N-Nine?”

Shikamaru nodded. “Well, one of the Nine is out at Orochimaru’s, but everyone else, yeah. Sakura is already trying to find out what she can, even though she’s not really doing the Konoha thing anymore. My teammates are probably safe, and I know I can trust them. I don’t even think Root would try Naruto at this point. Apprentice to the Hokage and all that.” And host to the  _ Kyuubi _ , though Shikamaru wasn’t certain Hinata knew (or was ready to know) that particular bit of information. “Can you trust your team, Hinata?”

“Yes.” Hinata said, more certain than he’d ever heard her. “Kiba and Shino...they’d be appalled if they knew about this. I k-know they would help us.”

“Good. So that’s eight people we can trust. This is…” Shikamaru sighed. “Well, consider this our first S-ranked mission, assigned by me. The exposure of Root. And...the comprehensive upheaval of Konoha so we can make room for a better system.”

“Shikamaru…” Hinata smiled. “I think...this isn’t very like you to be so...so  _ enthusiastic _ .”

“It’s a drag.” Shikamaru complained. “But...I don’t think I can just let it happen.”

“I-I agree.” Hinata nodded again, determined. “I’ll talk with Kiba and Shino…”

“Only here.” Shikamaru insisted. “And I’ll have to be around or else my clan will put a knife through your head. We’ll get everyone together here and explain it all at once.”

“R-right. How about...we meet this time tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow then.”

Tomorrow...Shikamaru wouldn’t be able to back out after this. 

His father always complained that he was far too apathetic when it came to the village. Funny now how things were turning out. 

All he could do was hope that Root severely estimated what they’d be capable of achieving. And that, no matter what, he could stay several steps ahead.

_ Like a game of shogi…only right now, we can’t see the other player’s pieces. _

Shikamaru smiled.

He’d always enjoyed a challenging game.

 

-

 

“Ugh, you’re simply  _ hopeless _ !”

Ino’s voice was an annoyed screech, echoing against Naruto’s mindscape. If not for the fact that he’d been listening to her argue with the Kyuubi for days now, the sheer shrillness of her voice might have snapped him out of the effects of her jutsu. But he was used to it now, this  _ boring _ back and forth that Ino and the Kyuubi had established. She tried to play nice, Kyuubi threatened to eat her, she tried to play bad cop, Kyuubi threatened to eat her, she got fed  _ up _ ...and that was the day.  

Naruto was so,  _ so… _

**“Bored.”**

The Kyuubi yawned, his giant teeth flashing as he did so.  **“I’m getting bored, little girl. Why don’t you come into my mouth and end this once and for all?”**

“Is  _ all _ you can think about eating people?”

**“Yup.”** Kyuubi grinned.  **“You’re all very tasty.”**

“ _ Ugh _ !” 

Ino sat down next to Naruto in a huff. He could tell that she was exhausted; this technique took a lot of chakra to maintain, and they hadn’t gotten anywhere with the Kyuubi at all. No signs of bettering the relationship, no new information...nothing. Gaara had managed to get somewhere with Shukaku. Why couldn’t  _ they _ make friends with this stupid fox?

“Hey Fox.”

**“What now, brat?”**

“What’s the tastiest part of a human?”

Ino smacked Naruto’s arm, making a disgusted noise. “ _ Naruto _ , why would you even ask that?”

“I mean, I like talking about the tastiest parts of ramen.” Naruto admitted. “I love that last bit of soup you get at the end that’s been soaking in all the flavors of the meat and the vegetables. It’s so savory and  _ juicy _ , like one last little punch of yum!” He gave a toothy grin. “So, Fox, what tastes best to you?”

The Kyuubi let out a hot breath, closing his eyes. For a moment, Naruto wasn’t sure he was going to answer. But then, out of nowhere, the fox replied.

**“I prefer eggs.”**

“Eggs? Humans don’t have those.”

**“I wasn’t talking about humans, boy. A good, fat pheasant egg. When it crunches between my teeth, it pulls out all the leftover human bits that got stuck inside.”**

Ino made a dramatic retching noise, but for once, Naruto was enthralled. Food...now  _ food _ , he could talk about.

“But aren’t eggs going to be like, really really small, compared to you? Or is there a big summon animal with  _ huuuuuge _ eggs that I don’t know about?” 

**“I’ve eaten eggs twice your size. Big enough to fill my whole mouth.”**

“Whooooa!” Naruto cried out, standing up so he could measure just how big an egg Kyuubi was referring to. “What even hatches from an egg that big! Is it like a summon animal? Big Boss Gamabunta is as big as you, so maybe there’s birds that big. But what do  _ they _ eat?” Naruto frowned as he considered this. He’d never even thought about where a giant toad might live, what they might eat, and that was just  _ toads _ . Orochimaru had snakes! Tsunade had slugs! And he’d seen tons of other summon animals...where did  _ they _ all live? This was a mystery he just had to solve!

And then, what surprised Naruto most of all...the Kyuubi laughed. 

The fox had a deep, guttural laugh that seemed to make the whole room shake. But instead of the menacing chuckle Naruto had grown used to, this one seemed almost jovial. Almost like...the Kyuubi was actually  _ amused _ .

**“You’ve been summoning those toads for a year now and you never even thought to ask where they came from? You really are an idiot, brat.”**

“Well if you’re so smart, why don’t  _ you _ tell me where they’re from?”

**“Mountains. Forests. Oceans. Far away from where anyone can reach them. Even my own kin have a retreat away from you nosy humans. Haven’t you ever wondered what lies across the sea, on the other side of the world?”**

“You mean you know what’s on the other side?” This time Ino spoke up, now more awestruck than annoyed. “People have been sending ships to try and find out for  _ years _ , but nobody’s ever-”

**“Idiots and fools. What is the point of inventing space-time jutsu if you don’t use it?”**

“Yeah, why  _ don’t _ we use it?” Naruto agreed. “Everybody should learn super cool teleportation jutsu, then we could just go  _ everywhere _ !”

“It’s probably not that easy!” Ino protested. “If everyone could do it, we already  _ would _ be doing it. It probably takes a stupid amount of chakra, and we don’t know how big the ocean is, so how would we know how  _ far _ to teleport?” 

“Uh...maybe we just have to keep guessing til we get it right?”

“Then we’ll  _ drown _ in the process!” Ino huffed, crossing her arms. Nearby, the Kyuubi also huffed in disappointment.

“Idiot.”

**“Idiot.”**

Ino and the Kyuubi looked at each other as they spoke, simultaneously. For a moment, silence.

Then, just as Ino’s jutsu broke, Naruto saw a small smile on the Kyuubi’s face.

They awoke in the training field with a gasp, as was usual. Naruto, nursing a raging headache, Ino, exhausted from chakra drain. But this time, they were both grinning to themselves.

“I think he likes me.”

“I think he likes  _ us _ .”

Naruto held out his hand for a fistbump, and Ino obliged. They were  _ doing _ it. Gaara had been  _ right _ .

Slowly...slowly but  _ surely _ ...they were befriending the Nine-Tailed Fox.

 

-

 

“Again.”

Sasuke focused. His target was a single leaf at the top of a tree that spiraled over a hundred feet into the air...and  _ only _ that leaf. He had learned to channel lightning chakra into Chidori from Kakashi, and through Orochimaru had learned to channel that chakra out from his hand into a ranged arc. But getting the control necessary to hit a small target from such a far distance? Well…

He’d never been top of the class when it came to chakra control.

Sasuke thought briefly of Sakura, long ago in the Land of Waves, climbing to the top of a similarly high tree with ease while he and Naruto struggled to make it a few feet. Would she have been able to master such a technique? A part of his mind doubted it, little Sakura, always scared, always hiding behind him…

Not the same Sakura, his mind reminded him, that had left home and gone to fucking  _ Iwagakure _ of all places. Not the same Sakura at all. Kabuto enjoyed flaunting his knowledge of her to him, reminding him that his old teammate was raising hell in other parts of the world. Something about making a  _ peace _ treaty. Something about  _ uniting _ everyone. 

Sakura had always been hopelessly naive. 

Would she come to Oto? Sasuke couldn’t help but wonder. She was supposedly going to several villages, maybe even  _ every _ village, so Oto would have to be on the list, wouldn’t it? He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he saw her again. Wasn’t sure how he’d feel. It had been easy back then, leaving her behind. His mind had only been focused on one thought, one goal. Power. Power to get revenge. Power to kill  _ Itachi _ . It had been simple, easy, and now…

And now…

Orochimaru made sure to involve him in  _ every _ facet of the village. It was rare Orochimaru let him leave his  _ sight _ . He’d seen the monotony of shinobi life, running a village, maintaining order, seeing what Orochimaru was willing to  _ do _ to keep a tentative peace. Sure, one day he would be strong enough to take Itachi down, but…

What came  _ after _ ?

He wanted to rebuild his clan. Karin would be more than willing to help him with that, he was sure, but Sasuke wasn’t altogether certain that Otogakure was where he was supposed to  _ be _ . Could he stay at a placed so steeped in the stench of Orochimaru, created by him, influenced by him? But, in contrast, could he possibly return home to  _ Konoha _ ?

_ “I think I understand now why you had to leave the village…” _

Sasuke’s mind wandered to a letter, a solitary letter delivered by Karin that had carried Sakura’s signature on it. A letter that not even  _ Kabuto _ had known about, and that thought alone made him smile.

Sakura had forsaken Konoha  _ too _ . What had that meant, if someone like her had left? And what did that mean for him?

“Again.”

Sasuke focused his chakra, pushing it, pressing it into a thin line as it shot forward into the depths of the tree. 

He thought of Konoha, thought of Team Seven, thought of his  _ brother _ .

What was he becoming? What  _ would _ he become? 

He was an avenger...but when all was avenged…

Then what?

His lightning pierced the leaf, a perfect tiny circle left behind from the pinpoint accuracy of his lightning. Nearby, Orochimaru smiled. The smiling unnerved him at times, but at times, like now...the smile seemed almost legitimate. 

“As expected, Sasuke.”

Sasuke took a deep breath, allowing himself a brief rest. 

When his thoughts lingered on his old home, did it make him weak?

As his eyes glanced up to the leaf, now fluttering down from the impact of his strike, he wondered if that was really true.

Maybe, just maybe…

“Again.”

Sasuke focused, and barred all thoughts of Sakura Haruno from his mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I always enjoy writing intermissions. I hadn't planned on doing a lot of Shikamaru but after the last intermission, I felt the urge to write more from his perspective, to show more behind the scenes. It's probably working better this way, in the long run.
> 
> For those who are interested, I shall be posting the first chapter of my Kingdom Hearts fanfic, Wayfinder, later this evening. It will be Kairi-centric, as I mentioned, and a complete rewrite of the series, starting from the events of KH1. If you like SBATC and Kingdom Hearts, please give it a read! As always, your feedback is what keeps me going.))


	39. Chapter 39

_ Seventh Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact _

_ The leader of each village under the pact shall meet once a year to discuss the pact. Changes to the pact may be put forth here by any leader or ambassador to the pact. If the pact is accepted by a majority vote by the village leaders, this change may be written to the pact as an Amendment. Conversely, an amendment may be removed from the pact by similar vote. An ambassador is not allowed to vote on pact amendments. _

 

Sakura had remembered reading, back in her time at Konoha, that it was considered standard for someone of jounin rank to have mastery over two elements. So at first, when Kakashi told her that he wanted to start teaching her water jutsu, she’d been immensely flattered. Sakura hadn’t even thought herself  _ chuunin _ level yet, let alone jounin, and yet Kakashi had thought her capable of learning a second element nonetheless. She’d gained a mastery over earth jutsu under Onoki, and now she’d add the versatile water element to her arsenal too!

Then, as the two of them made their way to the Taki lakeside and Kakashi began to tutor her, she realized the exact reason why there weren’t very many jounin-level shinobi in the world.

Mastering other elements was  _ hard _ .

And Kakashi was the sort of tutor that liked to throw his students head on into a difficult task without any buildup. Onoki had taken her to the top step by step. Kakashi was trying to  _ throw _ her to the top and hope she happened to grab on while she was flailing in the air. 

Sakura had  _ no idea _ how Sasuke had learned the Chidori. But, if anything, that was even more motivation for her to learn this stupid Water Bullet jutsu. If she was going to stand on the same ground as Sasuke and Naruto, be just as strong, know moves just as cool, then  _ she _ could learn a stupid jutsu this way even if it killed her.

“Try it again. Concentrate. You have the best chakra control of your generation, which means you’re more than capable of figuring this out.”

Sakura suppressed the urge to throw another quip Kakashi’s way. Earth jutsu had come easy. Earth was her  _ type _ . Converting her chakra to water nature was something like looking two ways at once  _ while _ trying to shoot a bow and arrow at a target.

Her hands moved through the signs, and Sakura took a deep breath. Water, she told herself, her energy was  _ water _ . She could feel pressure building in her chest, felt her cheeks swell with energy…

“Oh, it looks like Gaara’s back.”

Startled, Sakura opened her mouth, and all of the water she’d been building up gushed from her lips like a burst damn all over her front, soaking herself to the bone. 

Gaara looked reasonably confused. Kakashi had let out a sound that was suspiciously like a snort.

And after a moment, for the first time since they’d met, Sakura heard Sai laugh. 

It started out quiet at first, so quiet she’d almost missed it. But as she turned to see what this strange new noise was, Sakura saw Sai’s shoulders shaking, his hand over his mouth...and then it seemed as though he couldn’t hold it in anymore, and all the laughter came out at once. It was surprisingly light, and Sakura noticed small little tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he tried in vain to hold back his mirth. And it was so damn heartwarming just to see him  _ capable _ of laughter that Sakura couldn’t help but laugh along too. From there, it wasn’t long before Kakashi and Gaara had joined in.

“Are all foreigners so weird?” She heard a Taki shinobi ask nearby.

“I think that’s why we’re not supposed to let them in.” Another replied.

Eventually the laughter settled, and Sakura managed to keep it together enough to ask one of their bodyguards for a towel. While she waited, she sat down next to Sai and gave him a gentle pat on the back.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

Sai wiped his eyes, and there was a hint of a flush in his pale cheeks.

“...you’re really bad at that. You should stick with fisticuffs.”

“Maybe I should.” Sakura agreed, huffing in frustration. “Kakashi-sensei, are you sure you have the hand signs right?”

“Don’t you trust your wonderful teacher, Sakura?”

“I trust that you’ve made me get absolutely soaked trying this.”

Gaara eventually sat down with them, and they couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room any longer.

“So? How badly did Shukaku piss Shibuki off?”

“He didn’t really.” Gaara explained. “He was...very blunt, but I think he made good points. He’s...better at speaking to people than I am.”

“I think he’s got at least a thousand years practice on you.”

“Shibuki told me he needs to spend time speaking with his council. For now, we are guests.”

“So...we’re not getting kicked out, at the very least.” Sakura grinned. “I’d say that’s a success by you and Shukaku, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” Gaara smiled back in turn. “So...water jutsu?”

“Water jutsu.” Sakura’s grin turned into a frown. “Ugh. I’m taking a break. If I spit out another lackluster water loogie I’ll probably just cry.”

“Your crying would probably be a more effective use of water, at this point.”

“Sai, you learned how to laugh today, and I am  _ not _ afraid to teach you how to cry too.”

“So you’re taking a break?” 

Sakura looked around, not sure where the new voice had come from, until Fuu dropped down from above. She gave them a wave.

“Hiya, Pinkie. Wanna come take a break with me?”

“Um, sure?” Sakura wasn’t sure if being social was what she  _ wanted _ to do while soaked with water from her own jutsu, but she couldn’t exactly say no either. It was an opportunity to bond with a Taki shinobi, a Jinchuuriki at that, which would be nothing but beneficial to her cause and her goals. She stood up, wringing out the bottom of her shirt as she did. Gaara stood as well, but as he did, Fuu suddenly moved forward and grabbed Sakura by the arm.

“No no no! Girls only break, no boys allowed!”

“But...I’m supposed to…” Gaara didn’t seem to know how to deal with that statement, but before he could say more, Fuu began dragging Sakura away with an unnatural strength. 

“You could use some girl time, couldn’t you Sakura? Come on, come  _ on _ !”

Sakura gave Gaara a sheepish wave as she was dragged away, mouthing that she’d be fine. She was quickly learning that Fuu had a bit of an overbearing nature at times, but…

Well, it  _ had _ been awhile since she’d spoken with a girl her age. She’d had Kurotsuchi at Iwa, but she’d been so much more mature, more of a teacher than a friend. Fuu, however, had friendliness vibes to the maximum, and there were a few things about the girl that reminded her of Ino, back when she’d followed the Yamanaka around like a shadow. It was a strange, nostalgic comfort.

“Shibuki and the council will probably talk for  _ hours _ before they even start trying to think about deciding anything with you.” Fuu explained. “And I know  _ I  _ get bored when I have to wait, so I thought it would be fun if you came and helped me out with a mission. What do you think? Just the two of us!”

“A mission?” Sakura asked, baffled. “You mean Taki would trust me to help them with a mission?”

“No, probably not.” Fuu replied. “But they trust me, and they trust me to watch  _ you _ because I’m the strongest kunoichi in the whole village. Plus, the mission’s just a simple border patrol, and you’ve already shown you can handle a demon if they show up. Soooooo, that means an easy afternoon, potential for a fun scrap, and we get to hang out!” 

Fuu’s grin was infectious, and even though she was wet and tired, Sakura couldn’t help but smile too. 

 

Fuu led her through the winding cave tunnels, and Sakura realized she was a bit relieved to see the sun and the sky above her head again. Taki was beautiful, but living in a cave was stifling, and Sakura wasn’t sure how the Taki shinobi could handle it. She briefly closed her eyes and let the outside breeze brush against her face, enjoying the moment before Fuu tugged on her hand and the two of them were running through the woods at breakneck speed.

Fuu took a playful approach to the running, tagging Sakura on the arm and racing ahead to start a chase. Sakura wasn’t used to messing around on missions, but...well, it technically wasn’t  _ her _ mission, and she didn’t need to hold her reputation as the mature shinobi in her team when it was just her and one other. And if anyone  _ did _ see her...well, she was simply practicing channeling chakra to her legs for extra speed. Faster and faster they went, and Sakura tagged Fuu once, twice, thrice, until she was chasing her a fourth time and Fuu then came to a sudden stop.

Sakura, in her second ungraceful moment of the day, went careening past her, and then realized all at once why Fuu had come to a halt.

She was sailing over a  _ cliff _ .

Time seemed to slow down, and Sakura saw a valley stretched out beyond her for as far as her eyes could see. Leagues upon leagues of forest, dwarfed in her sight by giant skeletons that were bigger than any building she’d ever seen in her life, almost as big as  _ mountains _ . 

_ The Mountains’ Graveyard,  _ she realized. She’d always thought of a graveyard to be like the memorials she’d seen in Konoha and Iwa. Never would she have pictured bones so large they couldn’t be  _ buried _ .

Gravity began to kick in, and Sakura realized that she was hundreds of feet above ground unless she found a way to get back to the cliffside and  _ fast _ . 

She had rope, and she had kunai, but the rope was stored in a scroll for use in climbing cliffs in a  _ non _ combat situation. Still, she didn’t have any better options. Sakura frantically grabbed at the storage scroll at her hip and yanked it open, pulling forth the rope as she felt herself begin to fall. She clenched the scroll between her teeth as she tied the rope to a kunai, and then she just had to  _ throw _ and hope it  _ stuck _ . 

But she had little to worry about in that front. Her muscles had grown under Onoki’s tutelage, and so had her throwing accuracy. Her kunai sailed through the air and buried itself in the cliffside, and from there Sakura held on as she…

Was pulled straight towards the face of the cliff.

It was better than hitting the ground, she figured, but hitting a rock wall at such a speed wasn’t pleasant, and it was a miracle she managed to keep hold of her rope with the force of her impact. She bounced against the rock several times before coming to a halt, and with that...she’d  _ made _ it.

“ _ Nice, _ Pinkie! I thought I’d have to rescue you!”

Sakura grunted. A rescue might have been preferable but...well, it might have hurt her ego a little bit. 

Wallwalking, at least, was easy, and it wasn’t long before she was safely at the top of the cliff again. Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she dangled her legs over the edge. 

“A warning would be cool, in the future.”

“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have gotten to see you be all cool with the kunai and the rope.” Fuu retorted. “Besides, the view’s much better from where you were. I like to come fly out here and see if I can figure out what kind of creatures those used to be.”

“They’re  _ huge _ .” Sakura said breathlessly. “I wish I knew more animal anatomy. I’m sure there’s shinobi in every village that would kill to come get a look at these. Do you think they used to be summon animals?”

“Maybe?” Fuu shrugged. “They’re certainly big enough, but none of our summons know anything about them. Even Choumei says that they don’t know, so it must have been something  _ really _ old.”

“Wow.”

They looked out over the valley for a while in silence. Fuu kicked her legs contently and Sakura’s eyes darted back and forth, seeing something new every time she scanned over the land. More bones, unique trees, birds she hadn’t seen before…

Traveling around was so  _ cool _ .

“I never would have seen this if I’d stayed in my village.”

“Well, yeah.” Fuu answered, confused. “Obviously.”

“No, I mean...I don’t think I would have really traveled much at all other than within Fire Country. The furthest I’d ever gone as Konoha shinobi was to the Land of Waves, and even that...well, it doesn’t seem far at all  _ now _ .” Sakura hummed, resting her face in her hands and her elbows on her knees as she sat. “But now I feel like I’ve gone into a whole other  _ world _ . This seems like something out of a storybook.”

“Never thought of it that way, but I guess I grew up seeing it.” Fuu admitted. “A storybook, huh? Konoha always seemed like a storybook to me. You hear about all these clans with all these cool unique jutsus, now  _ that _ seems like a fairy tale. Reading minds? Controlling the shadows?”

“Really,  _ that _ seems weird?” Sakura laughed, thinking of her old comrades. “I knew people who could do those things. It never seemed weird to me at all.”

“It’s so weird! Nobody else can do the shadow control thing, not anywhere! And they’re not even the most famous. You guys have the  _ Uchiha _ .”

Sakura’s stomach soured all at once. The mention of the name...she thought of Sasuke. If her maps were correct, across this valley was Otogakure. She was close to Sasuke, so much closer than she’d ever been, even back when they’d been on the same team. A part of her wanted to sail from the cliff again to seek him out...a part of her that had been growing steadily smaller with each passing day, but a part that still never quite seemed to leave.

“Yeah.” She answered, her voice heavy. “Well, they used to, anyway.”

“Oh, right. The massacre.” Fuu looked down at her feet, becoming uncharacteristically sullen. “We heard about it, when it happened. The Uchiha clan have a lot of historical significance, you know, so it...it was a real tragedy. They’re the most direct descendants of the Sage of Six Paths…”

“What, really?” Sakura blinked as she process this. “I don’t even think  _ they _ knew that...though I wouldn’t really know myself what the Uchiha knew.”

“It was probably lost. A lot of knowledge doesn’t make it outside of Taki. But the Sage of Six Paths had two sons, and through the line of one eventually made the Uchiha clan. That’s why their eyes are so strong, you know. The Sage had the Rinnegan, and nobody’s had that since, but the Uchiha have the next best thing probably. They can copy any jutsu, perform powerful genjutsu, see chakra…”

“They’re...they were very strong.” Sakura bit her lip for a brief moment. Fuu didn’t know, she realized, didn’t know the last member of the Uchiha clan had left Konoha, maybe for good. And it wouldn’t be good of her to tell Fuu otherwise. Konoha had its secrets...it was her duty to keep them. 

“I wonder what it means, then.”

“Wonder what  _ what _ means?”

“That just one guy was able to kill all of those shinobi, who  _ also _ had the Sharingan.”

Itachi. Sakura had to admit that she wondered, too, what Itachi was like. How he’d gotten so strong. How he’d been driven so mad as to turn against his own clan. He was a member of Akatsuki, which meant the odds were good that she might  _ see _ him one day, might have to face him, might have to defend Gaara from him.

Sakura shuddered. Even with all of Onoki’s words of encouragement, even knowing that the man had fought the most formidable Uchiha of all, Madara...Sakura worried. 

“Yeah, I wonder too.” Sakura answered. She began to scan the valley below again, wanting some sort of distraction from the heavy talk. Movement caught her eye, but at first she didn’t look to it. She’d seen plenty of birds flying down there, this one was probably just…

A person.

A  _ person _ .

Two people, wearing black robes with red clouds.  _ Akatsuki _ .

Quickly, Sakura threw herself backwards, pulling Fuu with her. If they were  _ seen _ , if they were  _ spotted _ , she absolutely couldn’t hold off two Akatsuki members on her own but if it meant keeping a Jinchuuriki safe...she’d  _ have _ to. She kept low to the ground, peeking over the side of the cliff...and it looked as though the two hadn’t noticed.

“I’ve seen that Zetsu demon wear robes like that, those are the ones!” Fuu whispered as they watched. “But I’ve never seen others over here before. You said they’re a whole big bad group, right?”

“Right.” Sakura nodded. “And if they look our way at  _ all _ , you need to run home as fast as you can, alright? I’ll be right behind you.” 

“Okay.”

Fuu looked nervous, and Sakura couldn’t blame her. The last two Akatsuki members she’d seen had been as menacing as they came...but as Sakura reached up to touch the talisman around her neck, a habit now, she thought of how Hidan had treated her. Friendly, eager...and he hadn’t known Gaara was a Jinchuuriki, so they had stayed safe. If Akatsuki did see them, maybe she’d get lucky. Maybe they wouldn’t know Fuu was a Jinchuuriki either.

The two men down below look similarly menacing. One had light blue skin and carried what looked to be a large sword upon his back. It was too far below to make out more details, but from what Sakura remembered, that description meant...Kisame Hoshigaki. Which meant his companion, the one with the dark hair and eyes, had to be…

_ Itachi Uchiha _ .

Sakura’s heart pounded in her chest. It was her worst fears come to life, if Itachi so much as looked up...but they were so high up, there was no way he’d catch sight of her on accident, could he?

And then, as quick as she’d seen them, the two had gone further into the woods and out of her sight.

Sakura continued to hold her breath. Just because she’d lost sight, didn’t mean they were safe. Stay still, stay calm, don’t move…

And why, Sakura had to ask herself, why were the Akatsuki  _ here _ ?

Five minutes passed before Sakura let them move again, and from there it was straight back to Takigakure. Akatsuki was close, and Taki had to be warned, even if they weren’t planning on leaving the borders of the Mountains’ Graveyard. 

Nowhere in any of the notes she’d read in Konoha had a base for Akatsuki been mentioned. Sakura realized, as they ran, that it was possible she may have found it. The Graveyard, so far from human civilization, full to the brim with demons (if Taki was to be believed)...of  _ course _ only the strongest shinobi could survive there, and that meant fewer people would come to hunt them down. 

She needed to tell Taki. She needed to tell  _ Iwa _ and  _ Konoha _ that this organization that sought out Bijuu was hiding out here in the untamed forests. 

And now, Sakura realized, now she had seen the face of Itachi Uchiha. The man who had torn her team apart with his actions and words, the man who had slaughtered his entire clan, the man who had taken up root in Sasuke’s mind and heart…

“That is correct, Sakura Haruno. I am that man.”

The world melted around her, and Sakura saw Itachi Uchiha standing before her. 

Genjutsu, but  _ how _ ? She hadn’t met his eyes, she hadn’t even  _ seen _ him and she’d been caught. She threw her hands together, cutting off her chakra flow in a desperate attempt to free herself, but with every attempt the illusion around her remained the same. A dark red sky, trees of black, and Itachi still there in front of her. 

And that meant  _ Fuu _ was in danger. 

Desperate, Sakura pulled a kunai out. Pain, that was the only other way to break genjutsu. Onoki had stabbed his own arm to escape Madara’s genjutsu, which mean that she could break free if she just…

A hand grabbed hold of her own, and suddenly Itachi was right next to her.

“Stop.” He ordered. “This is the only way you and I can speak without the influence of others, and you have much you need to tell me.”

“ _ Fuck _ you!” Sakura let a second kunai fall to her free hand, and she lashed out at Itachi with gusto. He faded into smoke, but the grip on her hand was gone, and that meant…

“Sakura,  _ please _ .”

The man’s voice was so genuine, so pleading, that Sakura froze. She hadn’t expected such emotion from a murderer. But she couldn’t pause now, it didn’t matter what he had to say, what mattered was breaking free…

“I need you to tell me why Sasuke is with Orochimaru.”

There was silence, and then Sakura let out a bitter laugh. He couldn’t be serious, how could he not  _ know _ ? It was exactly what he’d  _ driven _ Sasuke to do, filling his heart with such hatred that he had no other  _ option _ .

Sakura pointed her kunai towards Itachi, no longer scared but  _ angry _ . “If you really don’t know, then you’re an idiot as well as a murderer. You  _ killed _ everyone he loved and you left him alive for whatever sick purpose you concocted in your head. All he can think about is vengeance and getting stronger, so of course he went to the  _ strongest _ fucking person he knew. And even if it was wrong, I’ll tell you right now...if I don’t kill you here,  _ he _ certainly will.” 

Itachi held up a hand as Sakura threatened him, looking in turn confused, angry, and then sullen. 

“It wasn’t...what I meant for him. He was supposed to stay with Konoha. They  _ promised _ .”

“...they?” Sakura frowned. Now  _ this _ was...new. Was Itachi really so deluded as to think someone had condoned his actions? 

“They.” Itachi repeated. “The Root of Konoha.”

Sakura’s heart froze in her chest.

Son of a  _ bitch _ .

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This chapter was a hard one to write, if you couldn't tell by the update delay. When I was planning this, I was so torn in whether or not I wanted to include this interaction in this arc, but eventually concluded that I had to in order for the story of Root to truly come to a natural completion. 
> 
> But writing Itachi is haaaaaaard.
> 
> I wanted to make mention that if you are wondering about the reader suggestions that I promised to integrate into the story, they will be coming soon, especially as Sakura eventually returns to Konoha. They just take a bit of buildup to get there. ;) ))


	40. Chapter 40

_ Eighth Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact _

_ A village may leave the pact upon formal written declaration, signed by the village leader. Leaving the pact revokes all rights to protections and trade routes guaranteed under the pact. A village that has left the pact, or any newly founded village that has yet to join the pact, may submit a written request to join that will be considered by pact ambassadors. _

 

Several things went through Sakura’s mind all at once.

The first, ever pressing, was that she was trapped inside Itachi Uchiha’s genjutsu, and normal disruption techniques did not work. She thought back to Kakashi and Sasuke, who’d both experienced the full effects of Itachi’s Sharingan and had been bedridden for weeks until Tsunade had treated them. It hadn’t escaped her thoughts that  _ she _ might end up in that position if she couldn’t find a way to awaken herself, which meant Fuu was in immediate danger.

The second, increasingly pressing, was that Itachi had suggested that Root had not only condoned the massacre, but had supported Itachi’s wishes regarding Sasuke. Sakura wished that surprised her more than it did. Root was involved in some nasty shit, but to be involved in the Uchiha massacre, even tangentially? Unacceptable, unless Itachi was lying to distract her. Assuming she got out of this alive, Shikamaru needed to know of this. They needed to investigate further.

And that led to thought three: even if Sakura did manage to break this genjutsu, how was she going to take on  _ two Akatsuki members at once _ ?

She needed to find a way out. She needed to  _ think _ .

Pain. She needed to distract Itachi long enough to be able to make a move with her kunai. It was the only shot she had, but distracting Itachi at  _ all _ would be difficult. She had no idea the extent of how the genjutsu had affected her, if the scenery being shown was the same scenery that was actually around her, if Fuu was nearby, if  _ Kisame _ was nearby...she could hurt Fuu on accident if she tried a flashy jutsu. And Itachi could easily hide his true location now that she was trapped in his gaze. No, attacking Itachi wasn’t the answer.

Well, he  _ did _ seem in the mood to talk.

“Do you honestly think that’s believable?” Sakura demanded, taking a tentative step to the left to see how Itachi would react. He didn’t move...good. “Nobody in Konoha would agree to the destruction of one of their strongest clans on  _ any _ terms, not even Root. Losing the Uchiha  _ crippled _ the village. And Root didn’t even  _ try _ to get Sasuke back when he ran off with Orochimaru. They’re more interested in  _ me _ than your brother.”

“...liars and schemers.” Itachi replied, his voice low and stewing with rage. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Sakura took another step, then took a fighting stance. She had one shot, she needed to make it  _ count _ . “For all I know, you’re just trying to distract me while your partner kills my friend.” It was possible they didn’t know about what Fuu was, and she wasn’t going to give them  _ that _ information for free. 

“You’re right.” Itachi answered. “This is a distraction, I’m sorry to say. I have appearances to maintain, and we are too close to the enemy for me to go easy on you. I apologize, Sakura Haruno, but I cannot allow you to interfere with Akatsuki’s goals. Trapping you here is the only way to ensure that you survive this encounter.”

“You think you’re being merciful, then?” Sakura spat. “I’d rather fucking  _ die _ then let Akatsuki get away with  _ anything _ they have planned.” She took her anger as a cue, feigning to throw both of her kunai towards Itachi at once. Instead, she threw neither, turning the blade of one kunai back so she could run the blade into her arm.

The blade went through, and she felt a searing pain. 

But she did not wake up.

“You are brave, but the illusion of the Mangekyo Sharingan is made to induce pain upon your mind. I only stopped you before so that your mind would be clear for our conversation.”

Her kunai faded from her hands, as well as the rest of the scenery around them. Sakura stood within a dark red void, with only Itachi left before her. 

“We will be taking the Jinchuuriki.” Itachi told her. “Rest assured that it will be for the continued prosperity of Konoha, even if you do not believe me now. Unfortunately, I cannot set you free. I must let my Tsukuyomi run its course.”

“Let it run all you like. The last person to get into my head found out the hard way what happens when you screw with me. The instant I’m out of this stupid genjutsu, I am going to kick your ass so damn  _ hard _ there won’t be anything  _ left _ for Sasuke!”

“I see.” Itachi answered. “Then I shall have to dissuade you from taking action against me.” 

In the blink of an eye, Itachi was gone. Then, Sakura heard his voice right by her ear.

“The Tsukuyomi will show you your worst nightmares for the next seventy-two hours. You will suffer. But you will live. Do not try to interfere with me, or else I will be forced to revoke my leniency.”

When Sakura turned to look, Itachi was gone. And that was when she saw the first nightmare.

Gaara, held in the air by unknown force, screaming in agony as chakra, the chakra of  _ Shukaku _ , was forcibly ripped from his body. His cries of pain seemed to hold Sakura hostage, unable to move or look away as she watched the life literally drain from his eyes. He fell to the ground, limp and unmoving, and Sakura let out a desperate moan.

Instantly the image was replaced, and it was Naruto in the air this time, the screams so real that for a moment Sakura could feel herself actually  _ believing _ it.

She saw Kakashi, ripped to pieces by an unknown enemy. Sai, executed, horror showing on his face for the first time. Sasuke, the last of his will fading as he was slowly taken over by Orochimaru. Her parents, Ino, Onoki, Fuu, everyone she’d ever met and cared for in her life, dying in horrific ways and  _ all she could do was watch _ .

And then, once the visions had run their course, Sakura turned and saw Gaara once again, and the cycle restarted anew. She realized, now, what tortures Sasuke and Kakashi had been put through at Itachi’s hands. She would be stuck watching this for what her mind would perceive to be  _ three straight days _ , and nothing she knew how to do could stop it. And by the time the genjutsu was done, she’d be powerless to stop them from taking Fuu.

It couldn’t end like this.  _ It couldn’t end like this _ .

Sakura threw her hands together, once again trying to cut off the flow of her chakra, but for all she knew she wasn’t actually even moving her hands in reality, only in her mind. If she was trapped in this illusion and unable to move, there was no  _ real _ way to cut off her chakra, no  _ real _ way to stop the genjutsu. She was trapped, she was trapped, she was  _ trapped _ , and even when she tried to close her eyes she found herself incapable of doing so, incapable of looking away from the nightmare that Itachi was showing her. 

_ Please... _ she thought to herself.  _ Please set me  _ **_free_ ** _. _

She’d lost count of what cycle of the nightmare she was on. Her hands reached up to clasp at the amulet around her neck, and maybe it was stupid, but what else could she do but pray for help? If there  _ was _ a god, if Hidan’s Jashin  _ did _ exist, they would be the only one that could provide her with the  _ miracle _ she needed to break free of this. 

**_Please_ ** .

She felt the tears streaming down her face. She saw her friends die in front of her once again. 

She felt a tingling in her hands.

The tingling started as a soft vibration, eventually becoming a warm feeling that grew and grew into an almost unbearable heat. But Sakura couldn’t open her hands, in fact she felt herself clasping  _ tighter _ as the amulet burned. 

And then, all at once, everything went to black.

Sakura heard a ringing in her ears, and an ache that spread across her entire body. It took her a minute to realize that the pain had to be coming from her  _ chakra _ coils, as she no longer could feel the familiar sensation of power that she’d been born with, that she’d honed under Onoki’s tutelage. It was as if all of the chakra in her body had suddenly  _ left _ .

The ringing grew louder, eventually becoming the sounds of wind and rustling leaves. Sakura opened her eyes and saw the sky. 

The  _ real _ sky.

Her whole body felt numb from the sudden lack of chakra, but Sakura could feel a hot sensation around her heart as her chakra began to slowly bleed back into herself. Somehow, she’d managed to completely empty her body of chakra and  _ wake herself up _ .

Time seemed to stop as she turned desperately towards Fuu.

Itachi and Kisame were now standing in front of them. It appeared as though they hadn’t actually moved at  _ all _ from their spot on the cliff, as Sakura could make out the scenery of the Mountain’s Graveyard beyond the two Akatsuki. Fuu had summoned her chakric wings and drawn a blade, but looked desperate. She had probably realized that Sakura had been caught in a genjutsu, as she was pointedly looking down at the Akatsuki’s feet. 

Sakura wasn’t stupid enough to meet Itachi’s eyes again. But she could see his body language, and she could tell from his posture that he was looking towards her, and his mouth was open in shock.

She’d broken  _ free _ .

She’d broken free and, son of a bitch, she didn’t have any  _ chakra _ .

It was slowly bleeding back into her body, but the sensation was getting more and more painful, like pins and needles in every coil. If she tried a jutsu now, it might force the chakra through her coils faster, and Sakura wasn’t sure she could handle that sort of pain. But Fuu’s  _ life _ was in danger. She didn’t have a  _ choice _ .

“Hey, Itachi…” She heard a voice, Kisame’s, echo through the ringing in her head. “Did you hold back? Not even  _ Kakashi _ could break out of _ that _ jutsu.”

“I…” Sakura heard Itachi stammer, and got a bit of smug satisfaction out of knowing she’d caught the Uchiha off guard. “I’m not sure.”

Sakura had the advantage. Itachi hadn’t expected her to break out, and she had one good chance at a move to fight them off. She needed to do something that would ensure Fuu’s safety. She needed to do something that would ensure Fuu had a chance to  _ get away _ .

Because Sakura wasn’t sure if she’d be conscious after she forced a jutsu through her body now. The pain of it might prove too much.

One move. One shot. She knew she wasn’t capable of taking on two Akatsuki on her own at  _ full _ strength, how the hell was she supposed to take them down in one  _ move _ ?

And then, all at once, it hit her.

She could take them  _ down _ in one move. Literally. It would take her down with them. But Fuu had wings. Fuu would make it, would get her chance to run to the village. Fuu would be  _ safe _ .

Sakura was the head ambassador to the Shinobi Neutrality Project, tasked with ensuring the peace and protection of all shinobi villages. It was Sakura’s  _ personal _ mission to ensure that all Jinchuuriki remained safe from the clutches of Akatsuki. These were the missions she was determined to dedicate her life to. She had to do it. For Gaara. For Naruto. For Han and Roshi and Fuu and all the Jinchuuriki whose lives were threatened.

Sakura shakily stood to her feet, forcing herself to give Itachi a grin.

“What did I tell you, you son of a bitch? I’m out of your genjutsu. Now it’s  _ ass-kicking time _ .”

She had spent months studying the properties of earth under Onoki. She knew from a glance what sort of soil she was standing on, she knew from her memory of climbing this cliff what sort of rocks made up its structure. Her mind began to run calculations, and she pictured in her head a half circle surrounding herself and the Akatsuki, lined perfectly with the side of the cliff. If she used a well placed fissure technique, she could separate this part of the cliff from the rest of the earth, which would send everyone but Fuu down to the ground of the Mountain’s Graveyard, hundreds of feet below. It probably wouldn’t kill the Akatsuki, but it would  _ delay _ them. 

Onoki had always told her to fight smarter, not harder.

Sakura ran through the hand signs at rapid speed, and before either Akatsuki could react thrust her hands to the ground. Chakra was forced through her coils, and true to her prediction, Sakura had never felt such pain in her life. She screamed, but  _ willed _ her fissure into existence,  _ willed _ it despite the pain. She heard the earth crack like thunder around her, and then the ground beneath her shifted as the cliffside began to crumble away from the impact. Her stomach lurched as gravity kicked in, and she saw both Kisame and Itachi struggling to try and reach solid ground in time, but they weren’t going to be quick enough.

Sakura’s body went limp, and she felt herself begin to fall. 

Seconds passed, and then she felt a hand grab the back of her shirt, and instead of falling she was  _ soaring _ over the Graveyard. Her vision blurred, but she could still make out the giant bones that had held her fascination before, and as she struggled to figure out what was happening, her eyes locked on to a mountain far in the distance.

Her amulet burned.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her, and Sakura realized that she was being carried by Fuu back towards the cliff, over the trees, soaring over Taki Country. 

“Sakura, stay with me!”

Fuu’s voice became fainter and fainter, and Sakura slipped into a blissful, painless unconsciousness.

 

-

 

“We’ll need to send word to Tsunade. If she’s been hit by Itachi’s Sharingan, Tsunade is the only one that will be able to wake her.”

“She won’t  _ wake up _ ?”

“And I’m telling she, she  _ was _ awake! She broke out of the genjutsu and fought them off!”

“I was only able to keep conscious after that jutsu because of my  _ Sharingan _ , Fuu. Sakura doesn’t have the Sharingan, there is no way her body would be able to-”

“You just don’t want to admit she’s stronger than you, you dirty old man!”

“I-I’m not  _ dirty _ , and my reading habits are not the point here-”

 

Everything hurt.

Her head throbbed. Her body felt as though it had been poked with thousands of needles. Her hands felt raw and sore. Sakura didn’t want to open her eyes. She didn’t want to deal with the world. Sleep, that was what she needed, more sleep.

She felt a pressure on her hand as another wrapped around it. The person’s skin was rough, but warm, like sand on a beach. She felt another pressure against her head, and heard a familiar voice speak into her ear.

“Sakura, please, you have to wake up.”

Gaara. It was  _ Gaara _ .

Sakura willed herself to move. She forced motion into her hand, enough to gently squeeze, to let Gaara know she was okay. She heard his breath hitch in his throat, and heard the room go silent around her.

Sakura opened her eyes. 

She saw Gaara first of all, his head close to hers. He pulled away as she awakened, looking the picture of relief. Beyond him, Sakura saw Kakashi, Sai, Fuu, Shibuki, and several Taki shinobi she did not recognize, all looking equal parts relieved and confused at her awakening. 

“Well, perhaps you should have known better.” Sai was the first to speak. “Fisticuffs doesn’t do anything right. Of course she wouldn’t react to a genjutsu properly.”

Kakashi let out a hollow laugh, and next to him Fuu let out a whoop of triumph. 

“I told you, old man, I  _ told you _ !”

Sakura didn’t hear Kakashi’s reply. She was overwhelmed as Gaara suddenly hugged her tightly. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” He whispered, and Sakura felt the boy tremble as all of his emotions came free at once.

Sakura was alive. Sakura was alive and Fuu was  _ safe _ . 

And for the moment, that was all she needed to care about. 

 

-

 

“Fuu, you will no longer be patrolling the Graveyard border. If Akatsuki have taken up residence in the area, the last thing we want is to give them further reason to try at your life again.”

Sakura could barely keep herself awake, but the last thing she wanted to do was miss this important meeting of the Taki council. She was the only one beside Fuu who could give the full report on what had happened, and more importantly, she needed to show strength as a head ambassador. It didn’t matter that she could barely move her body, or that Gaara had to push her around in a wheelchair. She was now the shinobi that had survived a fight with  _ Itachi _ and saved the Taki Jinchuuriki from Akatsuki’s hands. If anyone dared to try and look down on her for her current weakness, well, what they thought just didn’t  _ matter _ .

No one did, of course. In fact, Taki’s council seemed to take her even more seriously than before. Sakura wondered if there was any question now that Taki would join the Pact. She’d proven both her strength and her determination to keep others safe. 

As Sai had privately put it, they’d be idiots  _ not _ to join after her display.

“We should restrain Fuu within the village borders until Akatsuki are dealt with.” One councilwoman suggested. “Why risk her and Choumei’s life at all? Akatsuki could never breach our defenses in a hundred years.”

“No, but similarly so, I don’t think we could keep Fuu in one place for a hundred seconds, let alone a hundred years.” Another councilman retorted. “Our village cannot be without her assistance. She is the most capable among us of taking out the demons that threaten our borders.”

“You don’t need to face these threats alone.” Sakura took the opportunity to speak up. “If Taki joins the Pact, Konoha, Iwa, and Plains will be obligated to provide you with aid. Konoha borders the Graveyard as well. If they understand the gravity of the situation, I am certain they will be more than willing to increase their force at the border, which would take pressure off of Taki’s shinobi.”

“We have the captured demons that Miss Haruno has helped provide us.” Shibuki added. “The villages will be unable to deny us if they see living proof of the forces that seek to do us harm. Forces that we have reason to believe might be aligned with Akatsuki, if the Zetsu demon is any indication.”

Shibuki brought forth the written Pact that Sakura had given him before. He presented it before the council, pen at the ready.

“Are there any here who would speak against this proposal? Are there any here who still doubt Miss Haruno’s dedication to her treaty’s aims?”

The council was silent. Without another word, Shibuki signed the treaty. Sakura couldn’t help but smile. Sure, she had the physical capacity of a wet noodle currently, but it had all been  _ worth _ it. She felt Gaara squeeze her shoulder in excitement. 

“Welcome to the alliance, shinobi of Takigakure.” Sakura announced. “We are tremendously grateful for your support of world peace.”

“And I have something to add.” To Sakura’s surprise, Kakashi spoke up. “There is a rather perfect opportunity coming up for Taki to demonstrate the threat we face. Konoha is going to be attempting to host the chuunin exams yet again, and every village is invited to send their shinobi to participate. That means that village leaders will be invited to witness the exams as well, potentially including villages that have not yet signed the treaty. If Taki decides to participate, you would be able to speak to those leaders yourself, Shibuki. And Sakura, you would be able to convince those villages yet to join that your pact is worth their time.”

“That would mean leaving my village without my leadership for a time. And without whatever shinobi we decide to bring to said exams.” 

“Use it to your advantage!” Sakura suggested. “You’re worried about Fuu’s safety, aren’t you? If she’s on one of the teams participating, she’ll be the safest she could possibly be! Akatsuki would be stupid to try and attack with so many shinobi present.”

“Orochimaru was that stupid.” Sai pointed out.

“Orochimaru had forcibly assumed leadership of Suna without our knowledge.” Gaara pointed out. “And even with two villages attempting an assault on Konoha, Konoha was  _ still _ able to hold us off. Now that Suna is not under such influences, they are aligned with Konoha. Coupled with those villages who have signed the pact and will likely show up as well, that will mean at minimum five villages, including Taki, who will be defending from any would-be attackers.”

“We are more than capable of defending the village in your absence, Lord Shibuki.” A councilwoman added. “Taki shinobi are the strongest in the land. You know this.”

“I know this.” Shibuki agreed. “Yes, perhaps this would be a wise course of action. Prepare sealing scrolls for the transport of the demons. And Fuu, you will pick two shinobi to join you for participation in these exams.”

“I get to go to Konoha  _ and _ show everyone how strong I am?  _ Yes! _ ” Fuu pumped her fist into the air. “Today couldn’t get any better!”

“This is a serious matter, Fuu. The exams are secondary to our goals.” Shibuki reminded her. “We will prepare for travel immediately. Once Sakura is well, we head to Konoha.” 

 

-

 

“Tell me again what Itachi told you.”

“He said that Sasuke was supposed to stay in Konoha. That  _ Root _ promised him this. He also said that helping Akatsuki right now was somehow going to benefit Konoha in the long run.”

“None of this makes sense at  _ all. _ ”

Kakashi paced back and forth, looking far more agitated than Sakura had ever seen him. Even Sai didn’t know what Itachi had been referring to in regards to Root, and that just meant either that this went deeper than any of them had believed, or that Itachi was an incredibly convincing liar. 

“And you’re telling me you somehow made your chakra just  _ vanish _ ? Even under the effects of the Mangekyo?”

“ _ Yes _ , Kakashi-sensei, and  _ no _ I don’t know how I did it. I just remember…” Sakura reached up to touch at the amulet around her neck. “I remember being desperate. Pleading for someone to help. And then it  _ happened _ .”

“Sakura, we have all seen some fairly incredible things, but I think we all find it hard to believe that someone’s  _ god _ suddenly decided to take pity on you in a moment of need.”

Sakura shook her head. “I...I think there was more to it than that? I’m not sure. But right now I don’t have a better explanation for you.” She frowned, looking down at her hands. Though she had only touched the amulet in the illusion, her hands still had the effects of a mild burn. Kakashi was right. It didn’t make sense at all.

“Listen, Kakashi-sensei, if I figure out what I did, you will be the  _ first _ one I tell.”

“I...I know.” Kakashi softened. “And what’s more important is that you’re alive.”

“Yes.” Gaara emphasized. “You’re alive, and he’ll never get the  _ chance _ to do that to you again.”

“Good, because I’m going to be honest, whatever that was  _ sucked _ and I don’t want have to do it again.” Sakura flexed her arms, feeling the now familiar sensation of pins and needles shoot through it. The Taki healers had told her that she’d likely damaged her coils by forcing chakra through them so quickly. She would recover, but it would take time. “Too bad I’m not Naruto. I’d love to be able to bounce back after a single night’s sleep.”

And that reminded her…

She had a letter to write. Shikamaru had told her he was gathering the remnants of Rookie Nine to secretly investigate Root and bring them down from within. And now, with Taki about to be on route to Konoha, she’d be able to join them.

Sakura smiled.

She was…

She was coming  _ home _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This chapter hurt me physically to write. I don't like seeing my girl in pain. But enemies are enemies, at least for now, and Itachi has never been one to hold back.))


	41. Chapter 41

_ Ninth Tenant of the Shinobi Neutrality Pact _

_ A village is considered bound to the pact until the village changes leadership. A new leader must sign the pact upon promotion or else the village will be removed from pact agreements. _

 

Even in the the desert, nighttime had always been aflutter with life. Gaara knew this better than anyone. With the shade of night to protect them, wildlife became aflutter in the dark. Birds took to the skies, insects scuttled along the village walls, and sandcats were always on the prowl, looking for stray rabbits and ground squirrels. A foreigner might think the desert quiet. Gaara knew better.

The caves of Takigakure, however, were truly  _ silent _ at night.

Gaara wasn’t certain if it was village ritual, or just the fact that they were far beneath ground, but the only sound that made it to his ears was the far,  _ far _ off rush of the underground river that flowed into the village’s lake. Even then, the lake seemed still. The bats flew on silent wings after glowing dragonflies, and even then Gaara couldn’t hear them pushing through the night air. No noise, not a sound from the world buried within the caves.

And perhaps it was the silence that made Sakura’s dreaming whimpers even more painful to listen to.

It had been four nights since Sakura had faced down Itachi Uchiha at the border of the Mountains’ Graveyard. Four days of Sakura exhausted from chakra drainage and an unknown toll on her mind that the healers could only shrug through. Sakura put on a cheerful face, but Gaara was learning now how to read beneath the masks people wore. Sakura wasn’t exhausted, no, that was too generous a term for whatever it was Itachi’s technique did to a person. Sakura was  _ empty _ , and when the night came, so did the nightmares.

For once, Gaara was grateful that he did not sleep. She whimpered less when he kept a hand on her shoulder. 

“It gets better.” Kakashi had told him. Gaara had been somewhat relieved when Kakashi had told him that he, too, had survived the technique...and Kakashi didn’t whimper in  _ his _ sleep. “But the technique of the Mangekyo warps one’s perception of time. Three days can happen in the span of a single moment. It takes a while before the brain catches up to reality.”

Kakashi hadn’t mentioned how long, and Gaara knew better than to ask. If this was what it was like for Sakura, equally so it must have been for Kakashi. All he could do was trust that Sakura would heal and, for now, be there. 

The healers estimated another weak before Sakura’s chakra recovered enough for her to be in traveling condition. And they were in one of the safest villages on the continent. Gaara couldn’t complain too much. Here, in the Taki caves, they could afford to rest. 

Emi bristled suddenly in his lap, her tiny claws raking into the fabric of his pants. Whenever Sai approached, it usually unnerved her. At first, Gaara had wondered if it was the nature of  _ how _ Sai approached, quiet and unusually quick. However, Emi tended to get antsy even when she saw Sai coming a block away. His demeanor, then, Gaara theorized. He knew that, when he was young, his calm, murderous nature had unnerved most people. Sai didn’t exude any sort of nature at all, and perhaps that was even more upsetting to an animal that could only gauge a situation by reading body language and intent. 

Sai appeared in the window just as Gaara began to soothe Emi with a back rub. He tended to come to Sakura’s room every night, quietly watching for a while before returning to his own room. Something was on the boy’s mind, and Gaara had pried time and time again to no avail. Sakura had milked some truths out of him, but he was no Sakura. All he could do was wait and hope that Sai would either figure it out, or figure out how to talk to others. 

For about an hour, the two of them sat in silence. Emi took her time before settling back down into Gaara’s lap, but kept her eye on Sai at all times. There was a strange tenseness in the air, and Gaara realized for the first time that this was probably how it felt for others to see  _ him _ at night. 

“She shouldn’t have gone.”

Gaara blinked as Sai finally spoke. He was amazed that the boy’s voice didn’t wake Sakura, but despite her twitching she remained steadily asleep. 

Gaara hated admitting that he agreed with Sai. 

“She doesn’t regret it.” He countered. 

“Not this time. But if she continues to act stupidly, there will come such a time.”

“Tell that to her, then.”

“I don’t think she’d listen to me.” Sai argued. His face held no emotion as he looked upon Sakura’s sleeping form. “But she’d listen to you. You’re her partner.” 

Gaara wasn’t sure that Sakura would listen to  _ anyone _ when she set her mind to something. But Sai had a point. If Sakura was going to listen to anyone at all…

But who was he to lecture her on doing something he might have easily tried himself? Risking life and limb for another...Gaara wouldn’t have done it for just anyone, but he  _ would _ do it for Sakura, no matter who was on the other side of the fight. That Sakura would do it for a stranger was, if one looked at it critically, a ‘stupid action’. But Gaara was beginning to understand that sort of action now. To do things for others, to live for others, to  _ die _ for others…

Gaara had seen people at their  _ strongest _ protecting others. Who was he to dissuade Sakura from doing what he had seen her do time and time again? First for Sasuke, now for Fuu...it was, Gaara had realized, just who Sakura  _ was _ . 

“No.” Gaara shook his head. “I don’t think she’d listen to me either.”

“Then maybe you will listen to me.”

Gaara looked to Sai, unsure of what the boy meant. “I’m listening to you now.”

“I mean  _ really  _ listen. You want this peace treaty to succeed, don’t you?” 

“Yes.”

“Then you should see the problem. People like you and I...we shouldn’t be around her. Sakura acts stupidly when it comes to others. She tries to protect them at the expense of her own wellbeing. She can’t possibly juggle vying for peace and keeping you safe from Akatsuki at the same time. If you stay with her, you’ll just be putting her and the treaty in danger.”

Emi growled at this, her fur bristling again. It took a few determined pats before Gaara could calm her. He was convinced, at times, that the tanuki somehow perfectly understood spoken word, but in this case...the intent Sai was giving off now was a confusing one. Gaara wasn’t sure if Sai was acting hostile or...something else. 

And of  _ course _ Sai had a point. It was much harder to be angry with him when he was logically sound.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Gaara decided to try a different approach. There was no winning an argument with Sai, only getting to the heart of the matter. “I was under the impression that you cannot return to Konoha.”

“No.” Sai agreed. “I cannot.”

“And I will not return to Suna. There is no life for me there. None who see me as more than a weapon.”

“Iwa would take you in. Taki, too, with how much they value the Bijuu. You are more than capable of finding a place in the world away from Sakura.”

“The same could be said of you. A skilled shinobi would be welcomed in almost any village.”

Sai shook his head. “Root will find me no matter where I go. It is only a matter of time.”

There was an awkward silence then. An impasse. Nothing Gaara could say would sway him, and Sai sure as hell wasn’t going to convince him to leave Sakura’s side. Even if it was dangerous, even if it meant difficulties...even if that meant he was  _ selfish,  _ Gaara couldn’t leave her now.

Naruto had once referred to her as a precious person, someone he would do anything to protect. How ironic, now, how Gaara had come to fill that very same role. 

There was a quiet flutter of movement and Sai was gone. But in his place on the windowsill, Gaara saw a familiar book. Sai’s sketchbook. The boy carried it with him everywhere, so why would he leave it now? Curiously, Gaara reached out, his sand wrapping around the book and bringing it towards him. As he opened it to look, Emi popped her head through his arms, her eyes glancing over it as well.

Drawings. Pages and pages of drawings. Many of them were simple drawings. Birds. Mice. Deer. Trees. All things they had likely run across in their time at Iwa and during the journey to Taki. Gaara even caught sight of a few drawings of bats and dragonflies. But those weren’t the pictures that interested him. 

It was instead the pictures of Sakura and himself that caught his eyes. Dozens upon dozens of portraits, all trying to capture the same expression. Sakura, smiling. Him...not quite smiling yet, but Gaara could see a sort of peace in his eyes that had been much more common on his face as of late. His first thought was that it was a bit strange that Sai had been drawing them so much, but he realized all it once that it wasn’t  _ them _ in particular he was trying to capture, it was the  _ expression _ . The  _ feeling _ . Happiness. Joy. Peace.

And then, Gaara turned to the final page, and his heart froze in his chest.

A single word.

_ Farewell _

**He’s going to do something stupid.** Shukaku’s voice echoed in his mind, and Gaara found himself agreeing with the Bijuu.  **Sakura must be rubbing off on him.**

But what?

If there was nowhere Sai could go that Root wouldn’t find him, wasn’t the best option to stay here with them where it was safe? Why leave? And where would he go to?

And perhaps it didn’t matter, because Gaara knew Sakura well enough to know that she would  _ pissed _ if he allowed Sai to do something stupid on his watch. And damn it all, Sakura had been through  _ enough _ .

He’d wasted time going through the book, and Sai was hard to track. Gaara pocketed the book, not wanting Sakura to find it if she woke. He plopped Emi onto the ground and made his way to the open window. Emi, surprisingly, followed him. 

“Can you sniff him out?” Gaara asked.

Emi let out a small bark in response. She hobbled her way to the windowsill, her nose scrunching as she sniffed the air. Then, without more prodding needed, she scampered off into the night.

Well, it was as good a lead as any.

Gaara followed, which was surprisingly difficult. Tanuki were fast, and they could scamper through holes and alleys that were difficult for someone of Gaara’s size to get through. But the tanuki had caught onto something, and Gaara had reached the point where he was willing to trust the animal’s instincts.

He could only hope he had enough time.

 

-

 

The shinobi of Taki were only too happy to see him leave.

Sakura, they trusted tentatively, but everyone else in her group were ‘foreigners’ and most Taki shinobi grouped foreigners in a series of two adjectives: untrustworthy and dangerous. When Sai told them that he was returning to Konoha, they let him through without a second thought. Sai couldn’t even begin to let himself think how stupid a move it was to let any of them leave at all. (They knew where the entrance to the caves were, they could bring an  _ army _ .)

But that didn’t matter now. None of it mattered. He couldn’t allow himself to think about Taki’s defensive practices, because in about an hour or so, it wouldn’t matter to him at all.

The night was still, and the only sounds were that of his feet hitting the branches of the trees as he ran. Sai was purposeful in his breaking of silence. His plan wouldn’t work if the people he was looking for didn’t hear him.

Sai had learned two things in his time with Sakura Haruno.

The first was that, despite the fervent claims of Danzo and the senior members of Root, it was impossible to completely stamp out emotion from a human heart. Sai had seen over a year ago what the shinobi Gaara had been like, before the invasion of Konoha had begun. The boy had been more monster than man, ruthless, what Danzo might have even considered a perfect killing machine. It was hard to reconcile the image of the homicidal Jinchuuriki with the boy that Sai had spoken with now. There wasn’t a trace of the ‘killer’ left. So maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him when he’d start to feel emotions bubble up through the shell of apathy that he had spent years honing to perfection. Outside of the regiment of Root, outside of Danzo’s thumb...he had reverted. He had begun to feel again. He had begun to  _ want _ things. He had begun to  _ dislike _ things. And there was one factor that linked him and Gaara, one factor that had absolutely been a catalyst for these emotional changes. Sakura. 

Which led him to the second thing he had learned: Sakura was going to change things.

It wasn’t necessarily  _ her  _ that had been needed. She had simply been the one to step into a role that had been empty for decades. Not since the First Hokage had anyone ever tried to unite the shinobi world. Instead, there had been war. Deception. Invasion after invasion, skirmish after skirmish. It had become  _ expected _ . But Sakura had taken the step to upturn the status quo. Even with the mere act of  _ pushing _ for peace, she was reminding others that it was an option. If she failed, someone else would take her place. Sakura wasn’t just starting a treaty, she was potentially starting a  _ movement _ .

Unless, of course, someone nipped that movement in the bud.

Sai knew as well as any member of Root that Danzo Shimura would not allow a peace treaty to come into effect. Konoha, as far as Danzo preached, was meant to be a dominant, ruling force. A treaty would never ensure that future for the village. Sakura was a threat, one that Danzo would stop at nothing to eliminate.

But Sakura now had the backing of more than just the current Hokage. With the Tsuchikage and the Takikage backing her, Danzo couldn’t afford to make a direct movement against her. He had to play things smart. He had to outmaneuver her.

And Danzo had been playing this game for a  _ very _ long time. 

What was absolutely certain right now was that there was no way that Sai would be able to avoid the repercussions of leaving Root. At the very least, Danzo would ensure his death. That outcome, at this point, was near unavoidable. It was possible that he could prolong the inevitable by staying with Sakura, but it was just a prolonging. And if he stayed...that led to the worst option. 

Danzo would use him against Sakura.

It wouldn’t be outright. Sakura had written enough into the Neutrality Pact to cover Sai’s defection. Any person, civilian or shinobi, could choose to become an ambassador, and even if it was by proxy, Tsunade had signed the pact, which meant that any citizen of Konoha was covered by it. Sai included. But that wouldn’t stop Danzo from using him against Sakura. He was a master of pulling strings, saying the right words behind the scenes...sure, he would say, Sakura  _ preached _ peace, but who was to say she wasn’t trying to amass a shinobi army to start a village of her own? She’d pulled one of his own loyal agents away,  _ brainwashed _ him even into believing that the good of the country took priority over the good of his own kin. 

If Sai stayed with Sakura, he would simply be a weapon against her. 

Sai had known this for some time, toyed with the scenarios in his mind as they’d traveled from Iwa to Taki. But it hadn’t been until Sakura had faced down Itachi Uchiha that he’d realized the only course of action that was left for him to take. 

Sakura had been willing to risk her life for a near stranger. It had been stupid, but it had been the right thing to do. Saving Fuu from Akatsuki ingratiated her to Taki, and prevented Akatsuki from gaining a valuable resource. If she had died defending Fuu, she would have died for the right causes: the sake of peace, and the safety of the Jinchuuriki. Sakura hadn’t thought twice about it. She’d simply  _ done _ it. 

Sai had come to admire the decision. Root had taught him to act without hesitation for the good of the village. That sort of action was second nature. And it was time for him to apply his training for one final mission.

He wouldn’t allow himself to be a weapon. Not against Sakura. She had fought for him. She had offered her  _ life _ for him back in Iwagakure. 

Sai’s thoughts lingered on his brother, and he smiled. Yes, the feeling was not unlike what he had felt for his brother back then. This  _ warmth _ . He couldn’t let this warmth die out. He couldn’t allow Sakura to fail now because of him. He would ensure that her path forward was just a little bit clearer, even if it was only a little bit. Danzo would be her enemy, but he would have to work harder to get an edge once Sai’s final mission was done. 

It didn’t take long for a Root agent to find him. Now that he was far from the Taki caves, closer to the Konoha border, it was only natural that there would be an agent or two skulking around looking for him. Root were masters of infiltration. There were Root agents stationed in every country. Taki was no exception.

Sai came to a halt in a meadow. The grass had grown to knee height, and with spring in full motion, pink flowers had begun to bloom on the ground around him. It was...kind of pretty. A good place for an end.

The Root agent landed in front of him, sword drawn. Their face was covered in a mask, with no discerning sign that they were working for Konoha. If a Taki shinobi saw them, Konoha would not be held accountable. As far as it appeared, this was simply two rogue shinobi, settling something.

“Agent.” The voice sounded masculine. Sai recognized it. An agent only three years his senior, one who had trained him in kenjutsu when he was a child. “Root has ordered your immediate execution and retrieval.” 

Sai couldn’t help but let out a small breath of relief. Danzo hadn’t yet considered the benefits of keeping Sai alive and with Sakura. He was still motivated to protect his reputation. Retrieve his assets. He’d moved quickly enough. 

“I am aware.” Sai answered. “I have...become compromised. I offer my life freely for the good of Konoha.”

The agent hesitated. Sai couldn’t help but wonder if he, too, felt emotions beneath that mask. They were made to kill their brothers in order to graduate Root’s gruelling training. Contrary to Danzo’s belief, that didn’t make it easier when it came to situations like this. Even before Sakura, Sai would have hesitated too.

“Do you have any final words?”

Sai took a deep breath. Even with recent events, he felt strangely calm now. At peace. This was the right decision, the right thing to do...for her. For  _ everyone _ . Final words? What more could he say, here and now? 

Maybe...it would have been nice to have a final word with Sakura. But she would have stopped him then. Wouldn’t have understood.

No...there was nothing left to say.

“I have none.”

The agent readied his sword, and Sai closed his eyes.

He heard a clash of steel.

Sai opened his eyes again and saw sand swirling around him. The agent in front of him had been blocked by a hovering wall of it, and he struggled to push through only for a moment before retreating back several hops away.

There was a rush of wind, and then Sai felt  _ chakra _ .

It was so thick that he almost heaved with the intensity of it. He’d never felt energy this thick before, never felt something dripping with this much  _ anger _ . 

If he’d blinked, he would have missed Gaara flying by him. He wouldn’t have seen the sand swirl into place around the Jinchuuriki’s arm, forming the shape of a heavy claw. He wouldn’t have seen the look of pure fury on Gaara’s face. Wouldn’t have felt the  _ rage _ .

There was a sickening crunch, and the Root agent dropped to the ground, still.

For a brief moment, the forest was quiet. Sai held his breath, feeling  _ fear _ for the first time he could remember. The fear only intensified as Gaara spun towards him and their eyes met. Though the sand claw had started to drop to the ground, Sai could still feel the angry aura dripping from the Jinchuuriki, and he was frozen in place as Gaara approached.

They looked each other in the eyes, and Gaara took a few heaving breaths. Then, Gaara lashed out and punched him.

It was a clean hit. Sai saw a flash, and he dropped to the ground before he could process just what exactly had happened. He reached up, gingerly touching at the side of his face. Definitely going to bruise.

He felt something grab his shirt, and when he looked up he saw Gaara again. 

“ **What were you** **_thinking_ ** **?** ”

There was a slight distortion to Gaara’s voice still, and Sai couldn’t help but tremble. Maybe he’d made a mistake, thinking Gaara wasn’t still volatile, especially with what he’d just  _ done _ .

And then, all at once, the aura began to fade. Sai could  _ breathe _ again, and Gaara’s expression changed from anger to something more similar to distress. 

“What were you thinking?” He repeated. “That man was about to  _ kill _ you.” 

“I know.” Sai gasped. “That was supposed to be the intention.”

“But  _ why _ ?”

“It’s the only way. The only way Sakura will be safe from Root. I have to remove myself from the equation.”

Gaara let go of his shirt, and Sai hit the ground once again. His head was still swimming from the blow, and...well, there was a part of him that was convinced he was dreaming this.  _ Gaara _ , come to  _ save _ him? He hadn’t been convinced Gaara particularly  _ liked _ him.

“Why?” Sai forced himself to ask. “It would be easier. One less problem to solve. And you’d have Sakura all to yourself again.” 

“Because it’s not what she  _ wants _ !” Gaara practically yelled in response. “She’s still recovering from that  _ bastard _ ’ _ s _ attack, do you really think seeing you dead would  _ relieve _ her?”

Sai didn’t have an answer to that. It was silly, that she’d gotten so attached to him. Silly that she got attached to others so easily. It was going to get her  _ killed _ one day. 

He felt a hand grab his arm, and suddenly he was heaved upward into a standing position.

“You’re coming back.” Gaara told him. “And if you try anything  _ stupid _ again, I’ll take Shukaku’s advice and knock you unconscious.” 

“It might be easier to do that anyway. I’m not sure which way is up.”

“...oh.” 

Sai felt his arm get pulled around Gaara’s shoulders, until the boy was holding him up. From there, the two of them began to walk. Gaara was fairly steady, and it didn’t take long before Sai’s head stopped spinning and he could start holding himself up again.

“You realize Root is going to hear about this.”

“There are a lot of demons in the woods.” Gaara retorted. “He got unlucky.” 

“Root is going to do everything within their power to bring you and Sakura down.”

“We know.”

“I’m just going to-”

“Stop.” Gaara came to a halt. He shifted so he could look at Sai directly. “Listen to me.”

“...alright.”

“I used to hate you.”

The admission was blunt, but not surprising. Any idiot could have figured out the Jinchuuriki hadn’t been fond of him since day one. 

“You were annoying. You got between me and Sakura. And you’re a liability. But...you’re one of us. And…” Gaara let out a small sigh. “And I can’t let you make Sakura upset. She cares about you. Which means  _ I  _ have to care about you. And if you keep trying to throw your life away, I’ll just keep dragging you back until you get it through your head that we aren’t going to let you die for us.” Gaara then reached out, jabbing a finger at his chest. “And don’t you  _ dare _ tell me that I’m being stupid.” 

There was a lot Sai could have said. He’d thought Gaara would understand. To give one’s life for another...wasn’t that the  _ point _ ? Wasn’t that why Sakura was where she was now? She’d said it herself, she’d left her village to find a way to keep her old teammates safe. For the good of others...that was what had  _ started _ all of this.

Sai turned and began to walk again. No, there was nothing more  _ to _ say. His final mission had failed. All that was left now was to-

“Sai, what do you  _ want _ ?”

Sai stopped. The question...what did it mean? What did it matter?

“It has never mattered what I’ve wanted. I existed solely for the good of Konoha. And now, I exist to-”

“That’s not what I asked, Sai.”

Gaara was determined, it seemed, to get some sort of answer. Sai debated lying, coming up with something to satisfy him. What he wanted...what he  _ wanted _ …

“I want to feel it.” Sai answered. “That feeling of peace that you feel with each other. Being sure in each other. Having a purpose that you chose.” 

His thoughts went to his brother. The only other person he’d let himself care for. He’d forgotten what that meant, to really  _ feel _ for another person. 

“...if Sakura dies because of me, that won’t be what I feel.”

“Then we make sure she doesn’t die.”

Gaara held out a hand to him, still just as determined as before.

“We swear it, here and now. No more running. We do this her way, and we keep her safe. Whether it’s Root or Akatsuki or... _ anything _ . We don’t let anything touch Sakura again.”

Sai looked at the hand, and then back to Gaara. 

It was...more desirable than dying. Even if dying was easier.

But it didn’t seem like it was his time just yet. And Gaara, despite everything, had come for him. Had saved his life. 

It would be a bit of a dick move to turn his back on Gaara now. 

Sai took his hand. “We swear it.” He agreed. “Nothing touches Sakura again.”

Gaara nodded in approval, and they shook. They began to walk again, and Sai did his best to ignore the throbbing from the bruise that was likely forming on his face.

“...and you promise never to punch me that hard again.”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” 

“Grumpy.”

“Asshole.”

Sai stole a glance at Gaara. There was a small smile on the boy’s face now, and…

Well, Sai couldn’t help but smile a little bit too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Another difficult chapter to write. Next time, the trip back to Konoha begins. 
> 
> There's been a lot of fun discussion about the past couple chapters, especially on Jashinism. I'm impressed to say that two readers caught onto a small part of my plans. ;) When it comes to lore, especially how I'm twisting it, I am always happy to answer questions if I can. (Without spoiling, of course.) So feel free to ask if something is confusing or you just want to see where I'm taking something. I love the discussion!))


	42. Chapter 42

Sakura woke up alone.

This was somewhat unusual; Gaara hadn’t left her side since she’d awoken from her chakra exhausted state, and though Sakura couldn’t help but wonder where the boy had gotten to, she was a little bit grateful for the (no doubt) temporary alone time. She had to put on a brave face when Gaara was around or else he’d worry. Now, she could let herself be…

Well, she wasn’t exactly upset. Another nightmare, but at this point it was becoming the norm, waking up in a cold sweat with the after image of dead loved ones burned into her eyes. At some point, Sakura’s mind had just become numb. If she’d experienced the full effects of the Mangekyo, the full ‘three days’ Itachi had promised, would this have happened still? Or would each death have felt as fresh as the first? Sakura hoped she never had to find the answer to that, but she did know that dealing with the after effects of Itachi’s eyes was not great and not something she’d quite figured out how best to approach yet.

Some part of her wanted to cry, and another part of her hated herself for it. She had  _ always _ been the crybaby, unable to move or act while Sasuke or Naruto handled a tough situation for her. She was  _ sick _ of crying. Kakashi hadn’t cried when he’d woken up. Sasuke hadn’t…

Well, perhaps that was an unfair comparison. Sasuke had woken up  _ different _ after his time with Itachi. Whatever Itachi had shown him, it had been enough to drive him to Orochimaru. And Kakashi never showed much emotion in front of  _ anyone _ . Sakura desperately wanted to ask him how he’d coped, what he’d seen, how he’d  _ felt _ ...but then she remembered that it was Kakashi and pulling out an honest response about himself was harder than pulling teeth. So maybe, in this particular case, it was okay to cry just a little bit.

With Gaara gone, it was easier to let it come. So Sakura finally let herself  _ feel _ . 

Itachi had been so damn strong that he’d captured her in genjutsu without her even meeting his eyes or realizing he’d done it, from hundreds of feet away. Itachi had caught her in a technique so powerful that Sakura still wasn’t sure how she’d pulled free. Kakashi doubted her, but if Kakashi couldn’t break it, if  _ Sasuke _ couldn’t break it, then clearly some sort of deity  _ had _ to have helped her, because there was no way she had some sort of latent ability that enabled her to resist  _ Sharingan _ . 

Her mind began to work through it again as she cried, and it was easier now that she didn’t have to worry about keeping her emotions in check. Her amulet had burned, and all of the chakra in her body had momentarily disappeared. Had it vanished, or had she somehow thrust it out of her all at once? The healers had theorized that she’d burned out her chakra coils attempting to do a strong earth jutsu without waiting for her chakra fully return, which suggested the former, but how did one’s chakra simply vanish? It wasn’t that she’d severed the connection temporarily, it had just been  _ gone _ . 

And there was a detail that she’d  _ missed _ , something that her mind kept nagging her to remember, but the memory was fuzzy now and Sakura couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen something important and just... _ forgotten _ .

Frustration began to override her sorrow, and the tears stopped. Anger, Sakura was learning, had a way of keeping other emotions at bay. It was little wonder Sasuke had developed the way he had been. It was easier to be angry at his brother. Harder to grieve. Harder to cope. 

How funny that Sakura understood him now far better than she ever had before, when it was too late. 

Her body still tingled at times, but her chakra had almost fully returned to a normal state. But what gave Sakura pause was that it somehow felt  _ different _ . Like a foreign body had invaded her coils instead of her own chakra. She’d been forbidden from trying jutsu until the healers gave her permission, and with Gaara watching her so closely she’d been hesitant to disobey, but now with him gone…

A tiny little jutsu couldn’t hurt now, could it? Just to see? Maybe she’d feel better if she let her chakra just flow for a bit, do something that was too easy to be exhausting.

Her sensing jutsu.

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to do it now, before Gaara returned to chastise her. She ran through the hand signals and pushed her chakra outwards.

Everything flooded in at once, and Sakura let out a small yelp. 

It was like she’d somehow blinded herself with the action, but as she processed what had occured, she realized that somehow there was just chakra  _ everywhere _ . In the ground, in the walls, in the fungus growing on the cave walls outside, in the lake, in the giant tree that dominated over the village, as well as  _ every _ person around her, not just shinobi. Shinobi had more than civilians, far more, but everyone,  _ everyone _ had  _ so much chakra _ that her mind couldn’t process it all at once, so instead she just registered  _ signal _ . 

Slowly the signal began to fade, and after what felt like an eternity it became easier to process. Sakura felt a heavy tingling throughout her body as chakra bled in to replace what she’d spent. Too much, she finally realized, she had somehow put out  _ too much chakra _ .

And that was more frustrating than she’d liked to admit. She was a  _ master _ at chakra control, she’d been told so by plenty of people, so how had she suddenly started overusing? 

A different test, she decided. She went through a couple of hand signals to create a basic clone. It popped into existence perfectly on her bed, looking just like her, and...no tingling, no overuse of chakra. Nothing.

Sakura frowned. She went through the signs of her sensing jutsu again, and then once again a wave of impossibly heavy signal reached her. She winced, pain coursing through her head as she tried to process. So it wasn’t her chakra control that had been affected, but...her  _ sensing _ jutsu? 

Sakura cursed out loud. As if she didn’t have enough mysteries on her hands at the moment, now her sensing jutsu wasn’t working right, and the only clue she had was that it had something to do with what happened with Itachi. But there were workarounds for this. Too much chakra? Then maybe if she just…

Sakura went through the hand signs  _ again _ , but this time she held her chakra back. Only a trickle this time, maybe a fifth of what was required…

The world seemed to light up around her, but instead of a blinding signal, it was tempered. More like she was used to. She sensed a presence a floor beneath her, several in the buildings around her, and as she concentrated she could make out signals further out into the village. A couple hundred feet out, perhaps. It would take time to get used to, but essentially whatever had happened had just made it so she needed  _ less _ chakra to use the sensing jutsu.

It was completely illogical. Her other jutsu had required the same amount. What kind of side effect altered her experience with  _ one _ jutsu and nothing else?

But maybe it was a blessing. Less chakra needed meant more times she could use it. And if she had time to experiment a little...she could figure out the precise amount of chakra she could use on the jutsu before it blinded her. Maybe she could sense  _ further _ . She could definitely sense more. Never before had she been able to sense chakra in civilians or trees or  _ water _ . She wasn’t even sure water was supposed to  _ have _ chakra. She certainly hadn’t read about it, the Academy hadn’t taught it, and yet…

And yet.

Sakura took a deep breath and allowed herself to lay back down on her pillow. She didn’t have enough information, and letting herself dwell on mysteries was a good distraction from her nightmares, but poor for her mind overall. She could instead let herself be excited. Today was the day she’d get a final checkup from the healers, and if all was well they’d begin the journey to Konoha. She was going  _ home _ . 

_ (And home had Danzo and Root and the chuunin exams and convincing more Kage to join the pact and-) _

Alright, so thinking of the general concept of home wasn’t the best idea either. She needed something more specific. Something happy that no anxious thought or worry could intrude upon.

And then Sakura realized, all at once, that today was her  _ birthday _ .

She shot up from her bed with a start. It was frightening how easily she’d forgotten such an important event. She was  _ fourteen years old _ today. She’d survived another year, and not only that, she’d become an  _ ambassador _ . She didn’t know many fourteen year olds from Konoha that had her traveling experience or her current privileges. Sure, Naruto was training under the Hokage and Sasuke had Orochimaru, but she’d had the Tsuchikage and what she was starting to call the ‘traveling school of hard knocks’. She’d helped out in a shinobi rebellion. She’d taken down demons. Faced down fucking  _ Itachi Uchiha _ and lived to tell about it. She was fourteen years old today and she had done  _ most _ these things in the past year.

That was something to smile about. Maybe some of those things had been difficult, but looking at all of the good things she’d accomplished, how could she complain? And not only had she started the Neutrality Project, but she had companions now, companions who believed in  _ her _ .

As if on cue, both Gaara and Sai hopped in through her window, Emi scuttling along in behind them. 

And...Sai had a massive black eye.

“S-Sai?” Sakura pushed herself out of bed, wobbly but able to stand. “What the hell happened? Did you get attacked by someone here?”

It was clear the boys hadn’t expected her to be awake. She saw both visibly startle, looking her way and then…

Gaara looked sheepish, and even Sai was beginning to have  _ some _ sort of expression on his face, which was saying something.

“Gaara and I had a disagreement.” Sai spoke up. “We worked it out.”

“ _ Are you telling me Gaara punched you in the eye _ ?”

“I said we worked it out. I was clearly in the wrong.” 

Sakura shot Gaara a look, and Gaara couldn’t meet her eyes. Well, they’d worked it out if they weren’t still fighting now, but Sakura couldn’t just excuse these two fighting over…

“What even were you disagreeing  _ on _ ?”

There was a moment of silence. Gaara looked over to Sai, Sai looked over to Gaara.

“...I asked him how long he planned on dragging his pet rat around and he told me if I called it a rat again that I’d regret it.”

Sai suddenly had one of his fake smiles on, and Sakura noticed Emi let out a small hiss at the mention of the phrase ‘rat’. Gaara still wasn’t meeting her eyes. So, either embarrassed about losing his temper, or…

Sakura frowned. “I don’t like being lied to.”

“It’s not a lie.” Sai countered. “I did call her a rat and I do regret it.”

“...you both are hopeless.”

There would be no dragging a real answer out of them, but Sai was missing enough tact that Sakura could almost  _ believe _ he’d somehow pushed Gaara to that point. Gaara was very fond of his tanuki friend. Either way, if it wasn’t the truth, it seemed as though Sakura wasn’t going to drag the answer out of them.

She sighed before making her way to Sai, reaching out to gently touch at his face. The boy flinched at first, but eventually settled. 

“It’s bad.” Sakura commented. “I wouldn’t piss off Gaara, alright? He’s got all that sand on his body, so his punches land like rocks. Let’s go to the healers. They can patch you up and give me my final check up.”

“...right.”

“And Gaara?”

Sakura turned to her friend, who definitely was showing the proper amount of shame for giving his comrade a black eye. Compared to the Gaara she’d first met...it was growth, in a way. The Gaara from her chuunin exam wouldn’t have batted an eye at causing someone pain.

“Apologize, please.” Sakura insisted, her voice gentle. “I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us going forward. We have enough problems to deal with already. I know Sai has a hard time holding his tongue, but that’s no excuse to hurt him like this.”

“...sorry.” Gaara mumbled. It wasn’t perfect, but a start was better than nothing.

“And Sai? You should apologize too. Emi means a lot to Gaara.”

Sai turned to Gaara, that same emotionless smile on his face. “I’m sorry I call your rat a rat. I’ll be sure to lie about it in the future.”

Sakura saw Gaara twitch a little, but the situation thankfully didn’t escalate. Sakura thwapped Sai on the shoulder with her hand. The boy still had a lot to learn, it seemed, but for now…

A start was a start.

 

-

 

In the end, eight Taki shinobi left the village with Sakura and her companions.

Shibuki, of course, was there, along with four shinobi that he trusted with his life. They had decided upon taking one singular team to compete in the chuunin exams, consisting of Fuu and two others, Kegon and Yoro. Both of Fuu’s teammates were already high ranking by village standards, but the exams weren’t about promotions for the Taki shinobi. They were about proving Taki’s strength, and sharing knowledge of demons with the other villages. For Fuu in particular, the exams were a show and she was the star. 

It would be all of the Taki shinobi’s first time out of the Taki borders. Sakura would have gone as far as to consider it a historic event. Regardless of whether or not the pact continued to go well, this was the first time in several generations that Taki had allowed interaction with other villages at  _ all _ . 

It was also the safest Sakura had ever felt while traveling. Even if a demon did show up, or if a bandit was stupid enough to challenge them, they’d be dealing with a grand total of a dozen shinobi, all of whom were competent and fully prepared to defend their precious comrades. There was no need to take shifts; as head ambassador, the others insisted she get her rest. (And Sakura couldn’t help but wonder if they were worried that she hadn’t yet fully healed.)

It was a week long journey to Konoha, which gave her plenty of time to speak freely with Shibuki about things she hadn’t yet found the time to discuss. Akatsuki was foremost on his mind after her and Fuu’s run-in, which was an excellent segue into the only other member that Sakura hadn’t been able to investigate yet: Kakuzu.

Kakuzu had worn a Taki headband, so Sakura had been able to deduce he’d been from the village. But upon mention of the name, Shibuki had first reacted with confusion.

“Kakuzu? That shinobi’s still  _ alive _ ?”

“Either that or someone else with a Taki headband is going around by his name.”

“That’s...unfortunate.” Shibuki had glanced towards his fellow shinobi at the mention, worry growing on his face. “Kakuzu was a shinobi under Taki decades ago. We had...ordered him to assassinate Hashirama Senju after our negotiations had failed, in the hope that the Bijuu might be set free without Hashirama to subdue them. Kakuzu failed and was punished, but...he retaliated, killing many of our elders and stealing away with several of our prized technique scrolls. We’d heard he’d moved to mercenary life but...to think he would still be alive…”

Someone who’d been ordered to assassinate the first Hokage. Such a shinobi was definitely powerful, and if even  _ Taki  _ didn’t know what Kakuzu had up his sleeve, then certainly nobody else would. Sakura would be in the dark about that member of Akatsuki for now. 

She would talk with Shibuki a lot, mostly about Taki traditions, sometimes about the legend of Kaguya. But perhaps the most important part of their journey had been the first night, and it had not been with Shibuki at all.

As they had settled in for camp, Gaara already offering first watch, Kakashi came to her once everyone else had begun to doze. He sat down next to her, and for once that book of his was nowhere in sight.

“Kakashi-sensei?”

“Maa, well...it’s your birthday, isn’t it?”

Sakura was stunned. She didn’t remember telling Kakashi when her birthday was, and for him to remember it was even more of a shock. She just nodded, and that was all it took for Kakashi to pull something out.

“Well, I thought maybe…well, I’ve never been very good at this sort of thing.”

He pressed something into her hands. It was a kunai, but not like one she’d ever seen before. This kunai had a three-pronged blade, and wrapped around the hilt was a cloth, on which were written symbols she had never seen before. It looked worn, but still oddly beautiful.

“What is-”

“It belonged to my teacher.” Kakashi explained. “Minato-sensei...he gave it to me to celebrate my becoming a jounin. He told me, as long as I kept the blade, I would never be alone.” He scratched the back of his head while he talked, chuckling. “Well, what I didn’t know at the time was that he used these kunai for his Flying Thunder God technique. He used these kunai as an anchor point to teleport to. But now that he’s not around anymore, it’s just a very versatile blade. Still...it’s the sentiment that matters, I think.”

“As long as I keep it…” Sakura couldn’t help but smile as she turned the kunai over in her hand. As she did, Kakashi reached out to put a hand on her head.

“I’m a Konoha shinobi through and through. But you’re still my cute student. Next time someone tries to hurt you...you won’t be alone.”

“...thanks, Kakashi-sensei.”

She looked up to meet her sensei’s eyes. He looked almost apologetic. Did he feel guilt, perhaps, for not being there when she’d faced Itachi? 

Sakura squeezed the kunai tight. Even if it was just sentiment...Kakashi couldn’t be there all the time, but what mattered was that he’d be there when he could. He’d come to find her in Iwa, began to teach her like she’d always wanted...Kakashi wasn’t perfect, but he was  _ trying _ . And maybe, just maybe, succeeding a little bit. 

It wasn’t a glamorous birthday, but Sakura felt as though she would always remember it.

As they traveled she often played with the kunai in her hand. It had an odd weight to it that would take getting used to, but she felt that its uniqueness would make for a weapon in combat that not many would expect. It was as she did this that she noticed Sai occasionally glancing at the blade. It was more interest than he usually placed in things, so at their next camp she sat down and showed it to him.

“You keep looking at it. Did you want to see it closer?”

“Not the kunai.” Sai admitted. “But...the seals around the hilt. That blade belonged to the Fourth Hokage.”

“Yup.” Sakura confirmed. “Figures you’d recognize it. Seals are your thing, huh?”

“It wasn’t just the Fourth Hokage’s technique.” Sai reached out, and Sakura handed him the kunai to look at. “The Second used it as well, though his seals were very different. It’s said that the Fourth deduced the technique by looked at the Second’s seals. He’s the only one who has ever been able to master it since.”

“Really? I guess they did say the Fourth was a genius.” Sakura grinned, leaning forward to watch Sai. “But, you know, you  _ did _ invent a sealing jutsu all your own. Maybe you could figure this one out!”

“I doubt it. These seals are almost nonsensical. They’re nothing like Konoha standard seals. I’d wager a guess that he picked up techniques from the Uzumaki, considering he married one.” Sai hesitated, looking up to Sakura. “The Jinchuuriki, Naruto...does he…?”

“Know anything about seals? I doubt it. He didn’t know his parents after all, and I don’t think they left him anything.”

“...I highly doubt that’s true. But Konoha might have kept his inheritance from him in an effort to conceal his heritage.” Sai handed the kunai back to Sakura, and took on an almost sullen look. “Perhaps, now that he is older, the Hokage might be convinced to allow him his heritage.”

“Which means you can ask him for help with the seal.” Sakura reached out to poke Sai’s shoulder. “You’re insidious, you know that? You haven’t even  _ met _ him yet.”

“I know. But I should plan ahead for what to say when I meet him, right? Otherwise I might get another black eye.” Sai smiled, and there was a hint of genuineness there this time. Sakura couldn’t help but laugh at that.

It was on the fourth day that they reached the Konoha border, and there someone was waiting for them. Sakura sensed them before she saw them, having spent the day trying to hone her newly sensitive sensing jutsu.

“Kakashi-sensei...six shinobi ahead.”

“Oh.” Kakashi smiled. “That would be the Konoha escort for the Taki entourage. I sent a request for them.”

“An escort?”

Sakura let herself run ahead. If the Hokage knew she was coming, that would meant that it was likely whatever escort she decided would be…

“SAKURA!!!”

Sakura saw orange flying towards her, and had just enough time to brace herself as she was enveloped in Naruto’s arms. She clung to him tightly, not realizing until now just how much she’d missed him.

“You finally made it!” Naruto squeezed her until she thought she might not have any breath left at all.

“Yup.” Sakura agreed with a small gasp. “I’m back, Naruto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I gotta do some wholesome chapters to make up for all the angst I think. Now if you all will excuse me, I gotta go prepare myself to die 500 times playing Sekiro.))


	43. Chapter 43

Naruto filled their time traveling with words, to the point where Sakura was convinced he’d learned how to exist without taking in air. Perhaps it was because they had been apart so long, but Naruto felt the need to tell her  _ everything _ that she had missed. Not even just what he had been up to, but what Ino had been up to, and Shikamaru and Chouji and Hinata and Kiba and Shino and...well, the list went on. (To the dismay of the InoShikaCho trio who were  _ also _ along for the journey and, as Ino pointed out,  _ perfectly _ capable of telling Sakura exactly what they’d each been up to, thank you very much.) 

But Naruto’s excitement held a bit of nostalgia in Sakura’s eyes, and she found it funny that while in the past she might have found Naruto’s ranting a bit annoying, at this moment it was the most comforting thing in the world. 

At the moment he was discussing his training under Tsunade, and in light of the upcoming chuunin exams, that had expanded beyond the ‘Hokage training’ that Naruto had been put under in the past.

“She told me that she won’t even  _ think _ of passing me unless my chakra control is better, so she’s been making me stand on the side of the Hokage monument while using wind chakra to keep a leaf a meter above my head. Which means I have to blow out wind chakra for a  _ whole hour _ .” Naruto lamented as they walked, and it finally dawned on Sakura how Naruto was able to talk in such long bursts now. Had Tsunade realized what she was encouraging by refining his wind jutsu? “It took me two weeks to be able to do it for that long but now she wants me to stand on a  _ waterfall _ while doing it, and it has to be  _ exactly _ a meter above my head or else I have to start over! She’s brutal, Sakura, I think I’m gonna  _ die _ before the exams even start!”

Sakura just laughed at this. As much as Naruto grouched, she knew he wouldn’t begrudge training that made him stronger, and chakra control was just the area he was lacking. Tsunade was doing right by him.

“Don’t even  _ talk _ Naruto, I’d take the damn waterfall training over what I’ve got.” Ino piped in. “My mom’s making sure I build up poison immunity by nearly  _ killing _ me with them. I’ve barely been able to keep down  _ food _ without heaving. Though…” Ino looked down at herself, grinning. “My figure’s the best it’s ever been, don’t you think, Forehead?”

“It’s pretty good for a stick, Ino-Pig.” Sakura stuck out her tongue. “Haven’t you heard? Muscles are the new beautiful.”

It was at that moment that Fuu, who had been quiet since the Konoha shinobi arrived, finally found the courage to pipe up. “Yeah!” She exclaimed suddenly, startling both Ino and Naruto as she thrust her way into the conversation. “I mean, look at Pinkie, she could lift a bear and she’s  _ perfect _ .”

Sakura felt a flush come to her cheeks, and Ino sputtered as she tried to argue back. 

“Y-yeah, well, you just haven’t seen what a lean, mean, fighting machine can do! I’ll just have to show you at the exams you...um…” Ino frowned. “I...don’t know your name yet.” 

“I’m  _ Fuu _ , I’m only the greatest and most powerful kunoichi in  _ all _ of Taki-”

And then it was Fuu’s turn to ramble on. Sakura couldn’t help but notice a dismayed look on Shikamaru’s face as they walked; the introvert was probably in his own personal hell having three long-winded talkers in his vicinity. Sakura wanted nothing more than to take Shikamaru aside for a chat but...not now. She caught his eye and he gave her a small shrug, but she knew from his glance that he understood.

_ Later _ .

Behind her walked Gaara and Sai, the former appearing a bit too shy to join in the conversation proper yet, and the latter looking as though he was...taking notes? Sakura let herself slow down enough to peek at the words. Sai had written down the names of every new shinobi in the group, as well as a series of descriptive factors. She noted with a snort that Ino had been jotted down as ‘Ino-Pig’. Sai was going to suffer if he called her that but...it was a learning experience, right?

It was when she saw Jiraiya’s notes that she held pause. Though her peers had gotten perhaps sillier descriptions, (Shikamaru had been compared to a pineapple), Jiraiya had simply gotten two words: Sannin, dangerous. Sai was working on Asuma now, the jounin in charge of the InoShikaCho squad, and while the word ‘stinky’ had been written next to the name (referring to the cigarette, perhaps?), Asuma too had a more serious description. Sai was...very good at taking succinct notes. A testament to his time in Root, perhaps, but Sakura was realizing how useful his blunt observations might be for her  _ own _ situation. Sai could read a room while she was occupied with interacting with it, and he could  _ definitely _ notice things that she might miss. 

She gave Sai a warm smile before turning her attention back to the squabbling in front of her. The conversation had swung from Ino and Fuu competing over the ‘most powerful kunoichi’ title to Naruto and Fuu getting ready to just throw hands in general. Naruto had always been a sucker for a challenge, and Fuu seemed to get a kick out of riling him up. Could she tell, Sakura wondered, that Naruto held the Kyuubi inside of him? She’d told the Taki shinobi that her old teammate was the Jinchuuriki, but…

Well, either way, it was probably good for both of them to interact. She could tell that Gaara, too, wanted to join in, if only just to have a chance to speak with Naruto for the first time since their own chuunin exams. 

There was so much to  _ do _ , and a whole month before the exams were even set to begin. Sakura needed to convince the visiting kage to join her pact, if they hadn’t already, and also find a way to aid Shikamaru in taking down Root. Sai wouldn’t be free until Root was exposed.  _ Konoha _ wouldn’t be able to move forward until its dark past was ripped into the light. And on top of  _ all _ of that...Sakura just wanted to see her friends and family again. For all she knew, once the exams were done, it might be the last time she saw them for a long while. 

It was a further two days’ journey to Konoha’s walls, and Sakura had hoped for a stress-free trip. But when Jiraiya approached her during their first night’s rest, Sakura felt a pit in her stomach.

_ Sannin. Dangerous _ .

Jiraiya was Naruto’s mentor too, and while that normally would have been enough to put her at ease, now Sakura just felt uncertain. Other than Kakashi and the shinobi her age, she wasn’t sure who in Konoha that Root had their claws in. Jiraiya was a known hermit and, by Naruto’s claims, a bit of a lecher, but all of that could have been an act to keep his real intentions unknown. She had to tread carefully until the truth was brought to light.

“Hey there, kid.” Jiraiya held up a hand in greeting as he came near. “We need to talk, if you don’t mind. Just you and me.”

Sakura felt Gaara tense at the last part, and she didn’t blame him. The last time he’d let her go somewhere without him...well, Jiraiya wasn’t Itachi, and Sakura knew that nothing could happen to her here without everyone in their group being aware of it. Sakura gave Gaara’s hand a squeeze before standing up. She was an ambassador, damn it all, and she couldn’t let herself be afraid of a  _ talk _ .

He took her to a section of the woods that was far enough away that the rest of the camp couldn’t hear. There, he sat down on a log with a heavy sigh. Sakura couldn’t help but notice that the man seemed...tired. Worn thin. She might have jokingly chalked this up to mentoring Naruto full time, but...this was different.

She sat down on a stump across from him, doing her best to look professional. “What did you want to talk about, sir?”

“Please, just Jiraiya.” The man replied with a wave of his hand. “If you’re going to take on such a big project, kid, you need to realize that it puts you on the same level as the Kage. Someone like me won’t be worth wasting the pleasantries.”

“I still feel as though I should respect all I speak with, Jiraiya sir.” Sakura pointedly made a note of including the title again. “It would be rude of me to think myself above others.”

“A nice sentiment, but there are going to be people who take that as a sign of weakness. You’re getting into a game you don’t know all the rules to yet.” Jiraiya reached into his pocket, pulling out a scroll that looked familiar.  _ Her _ scroll, Sakura realized, the one she’d had Sai send to Tsunade months ago. It was a breath of relief to know he’d actually sent it; back then, she hadn’t been sure. “This stuff on Akatsuki is pretty good.” Jiraiya admitted. “But you got lucky that they didn’t see you as a threat.”

“Luck seems to be my dominant trait lately.”

“Well, you’re gonna need it, kid.” Jiraiya sighed again. “You know...Naruto thinks the world of you. But Konoha? Most are going to see you as a traitor. Tsunade is only tolerating you coming here because you’re offering her something more than your life is currently worth. Information. Alliances.”

Sakura frowned. “Is there a point to all of this or did you just want to lecture me?”

“I’m  _ saying _ that I want you to succeed, and you aren’t going to unless you figure a couple things out. You’ve gotten  _ lucky _ that old man Onoki’s lost a few of his fangs, and you’ve gotten lucky to impress anyone from Taki at  _ all _ . Not even Hashirama managed what you’ve done here. But now you’re walking into a lion’s den. Suna is going to be coming to the exams, and it’s not just because of social obligation. They want their Jinchuuriki back and they’re not going to take no for an answer.”

“Gaara…” Sakura glanced to the camp, biting her lip. “Gaara left of his own free will. If he doesn’t want to return, Suna can’t make him.”

“Maybe not. But Suna can absolutely refuse to sign your treaty. You’ve pissed them off, and there’s not going to be a way to luck yourself out of this. What you need to figure out is what to give them that’s worth more than Gaara’s life, and that’s a  _ big _ life you’re gambling with. And right now, Konoha is stuck in the middle. We’re allied with Suna, currently, but also tied onto this pact. If Suna doesn’t sign on, that screws  _ us _ over too. Do you think Suna is going to stay aligned to someone who supports the theft of their Jinchuuriki?” Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed. “If you, and I mean  _ you _ , don’t sort this out...it could mean war.”

Sakura swallowed. She hadn’t considered yet how Suna would react to the pact. She hadn’t really been considering Suna at  _ all _ . And not only that...she could be putting her home in jeopardy if she failed.

Out of habit, her hand went up to touch her amulet. She’d gotten lucky before. This time...this time everything was on her. 

_ But something is looking after me. Something I don’t understand yet. Something that...didn’t want me to suffer Itachi’s Sharingan.  _

Things didn’t happen for no reason. Something  _ saved _ her, and she wasn’t going to be saved just to fail at the next step.

“I understand, Jiraiya.” Sakura replied. “I will take care with my interactions with Suna, and I will do my best to ensure a satisfactory conclusion for all involved.”

“...well, you listen a bit better than Naruto does, at least.” Jiraiya seemed less tense with her proclamation. “And for all our sakes, I hope your luck holds out.” He stood up, pocketing her scroll again as he did. “Also...don’t think I haven’t noticed that amulet of yours. It seems rather similar to the one you described our Akatsuki friend wearing.”

Sakura flushed at this. “...h-he gave it to me. As I mentioned in the report, there seems to be a group that venerates the same god, and this amulet is their symbol. If I wear it, it’s possible I’ll be able to approach them and learn more about Hidan’s abilities.”

Jiraiya chuckled at this. “Well, you’ve certainly planned things out. But keep this in mind, alright?” He met her eyes, and Sakura felt a twinge of fear as the man stared her down. “If I think you’re going to do anything that threatens Konoha, either through this treaty or anything else, I won’t hesitate. Even against a kid like you.” 

“...I know you won’t, Jiraiya sir.” 

 

-

 

Sakura stayed close to Gaara and Sai after that. What had once felt like a relieving trip home now felt like she was walking into a web of trip wire. One wrong move could start a war. One wrong move could lead to Sai’s death, or even her own. One wrong move and everything fell apart. 

She spent her time trying to distract herself. She almost felt jealous seeing Naruto interact with the InoShikaCho trio, but in the same thought she felt an overwhelming joy for Naruto. Team Seven...she had deluded herself into thinking that Team Seven had camaraderie, but it was  _ nothing _ compared to what Naruto had found here. Even sullen Shikamaru seemed drawn to Naruto’s energy, and the team seemed to gravitate around him, no matter the context. Sakura didn’t miss that Ino seemed to always be looking Naruto’s way, even when he wasn’t paying attention to her. Did Ino still think about Sasuke, she wondered, or perhaps…

Naruto had grown several inches since she’d seen him last, and while his outfit still held traces of his favorite obnoxious orange, he’d since traded in for something a bit more battle practical. His longer coat reminded her a bit of Tsunade’s style, and Sakura saw now that he kept not just kunai, but medicinal pouches and scrolls on his person. And with his hair a bit more grown out, Sakura could definitely see his resemblance to the late Fourth Hokage. 

Had Jiraiya told him of his heritage yet? Sakura wasn’t sure, but she  _ did _ know that Naruto would know about his birthright before she had to leave Konoha again, even if she had to tell him herself.

Regardless, Naruto wasn’t exactly a boy anymore. He was a teenager in full now, and though at times he appeared a bit too gangly for his own body to sort out, he was still growing up. They  _ all  _ were. 

Eventually, around midday of their sixth day of travel from Taki, they reached the Konoha gates. 

Sakura saw familiar shinobi, patrolling, manning the gates...and while they put on a pleasant air, Sakura couldn’t help but notice that their smiles faltered when they saw her. Even more painful to witness was the old team that Tsunade had assigned her to, back before she’d left the village. They didn’t even bother hiding their contempt.

Traitor indeed. Jiraiya had been right. Being here wasn’t going to be pleasant. Konoha was a village known for its bonds, and she had broken them. Even if it  _ was _ for a good cause…

Sakura felt herself inching even closer to Gaara as they walked to the Hokage’s tower. No one would attack her while she was here, she was certain of that, but Sakura still couldn’t help but be afraid.

Shibuki went to speak with Tsunade first, and for that Sakura was grateful. It was a small delay for her to gather her inner strength for facing the Hokage. Kakashi would be with her, and that was a comfort as well, but Jiraiya had said it himself: Tsunade only tolerated her now because she was more useful as she was than a dead missing-nin.

Eventually, the time came, and with a shaky breath Sakura made her way into the Hokage’s office.

“Sakura Haruno.”

“Lady Tsunade.”

Sakura made sure to bow in the Hokage’s presence. Respect here was paramount. “Thank you for receiving me, and for the esc-”

“Oh, cut the crap, Haruno, and sit down.”

Sakura flinched, but quickly sat. Tsunade didn’t look  _ angry _ , per say, but she didn’t exactly look pleased to see her either. For a moment, the two sat in silence. Gaara took a place at her side, but Sai stayed in the shadows by the wall, looking as though he’d rather not be seen. 

And then, finally, Tsunade spoke.

“I suppose it’d be hypocritical of me to be angry with you.”

“N-no, no, I think you’re well within your right.”

“I was twenty-five when I left Konoha, Haruno. A several decade sabbatical, one that was definitely not approved by the Hokage at the time. But whereas I went and drank and gambled myself into obscurity, you left and somehow convinced Iwa and Taki that inter-village relations might be worth pursuing. I’m angry, Haruno, but I can’t  _ stay _ angry. Not yet, anyway. If you leaving the village means never having to have another war again, then as far as I’m concerned, you’re the best shinobi to ever leave this place. But…”

“But we’re not there yet.” Sakura finished for her. 

“But we’re not there yet.” Tsunade agreed. “And because we’re not there yet, I can make sure you know what a foolishly lucky  _ idiot _ you’ve been, running off on your own. You are a  _ child _ . This responsibility should  _ not _ be on your shoulders.”

“But the responsibility of being a genin can be?” Sakura countered. “Kakashi was a jounin at my age, Lady Tsunade-”

“And it wasn’t  _ right _ .”

Sakura blinked. This...wasn’t the direction she’d expected this conversation to go.

“I’ll support your treaty, Haruno. I’ll sign it in full, myself, now that you’re here. But I will only continue to support you on two conditions.”

Sakura hastily pulled out a scroll to write. Conditions, of course, conditions…

“The first is that you will work to an an inter-village agreement that all future genin must be eighteen years or older before allowing to participate in war activities or any mission rank above D.”

Eighteen? It seemed so  _ old _ , considering that she’d been a genin for two whole years now. “Why eighteen specifically?” She asked. “Why not seventeen or nineteen?”

“Because I have sufficient evidence through my years of medical study and my work with the Yamanaka’s on psychology that one’s brain continues to develop long into one’s twenties. But around the age of eighteen, most begin to learn the maturity needed to properly approach higher ranked mission. It is my belief that allowing our children more time to grow and develop will lead to lower mortality rates in both war and peacetime, as well as better stability in shinobi that survive to later adulthood.” Tsunade leaned forward, looking more serious than Sakura had ever seen her. “I’m tired seeing children being broken by war, Haruno. I’m tired and I’m  _ done _ . Whether or not this is implemented into your pact, I will be moving to implement it here. My soldiers won’t be children. My soldiers won’t  _ fight _ children. If you push for this, you will have my full support.”

Sakura could be sympathetic to the thought. Convincing the other villages, however…

“Well, Lady Tsunade, through the tenants of the pact, we can put forth motions to be added as addendums. However, these addendums must be agreed upon through popular vote. You talked about having sufficient evidence, so I would recommend putting this evidence together so that we can present it to the other Kage. However, with that in mind…” Sakura met Tsunade’s gaze, determined. “I will put forth this proposal yearly until the other villages comply and allow the amendment to be added.”

“Good.” Tsunade nodded. “And now for my second condition.”

“Right…”

“I want you to establish a medical division among your ambassadors, Haruno. And I want this medical division to compile knowledge from every country to be publicly available to anyone who requires it.”

“Oh.” Sakura felt relief. This request...this was easier. “Well, while I cannot force any village to share medical knowledge with me, I can still meet this requirement without much hassle. Until I have more ambassadors to fully dedicate to the role, I can take on this request personally and start a repository for any knowledge you are willing to share. I will make it known that anyone who approaches me will have free access to it.” 

“I find that acceptable.” Tsunade replied. “Give that pact over, I’ll get the damn thing signed. If you’re going to start a fire, Haruno, we’d better make it a big one.”

 

-

 

Sakura didn’t stay with Tsunade for much longer. She was tired from the journey, and more importantly had somewhere important to go before she addressed anything else. 

“Stay close to Gaara and me.” She warned Sai as they walked. “Actually, I think it’s best if you don’t leave our view while we’re here, okay? I’m a bit worried.”

“Only a bit?” Sai retorted. “You might be underestimating the situation.”

Sakura stuck her tongue out before continuing to walk. “Listen, everything you’re worried about right now isn’t going to even  _ compare _ to what we’re about to walk into. So  _ please _ , Sai, try not to say anything that will get you killed. In fact, just let me do most of the talking, alright?”

“...and what are we about to walk into?”

“Well.” Sakura swallowed, turning a familiar corner until a certain house was in sight. It was achingly familiar, and Sakura had never been more nervous, even when facing down  _ Kage _ . 

“This is my house.” Sakura told them. “And the two of you are about to meet my mom and dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Oh man, an early update. I have no idea what's come over me. If I'm feeling frisky, maybe I'll have another chapter up by Sunday.))


	44. Alekhine (Intermission Part Eight)

“What? A revolution?”

The pale-haired boy looked back and forth between Sasuke and Karin. Sasuke had let Karin do the talking of course; he wasn’t really one for charismatic talks anyway, and it was really Karin who was the brains of this operation regardless. Every time Orochimaru slinked out of hearing range, times that were few and far between, he and Karin worked to pull in another person to their side. Suigetsu was a bit of a wild card. He’d been captured by Orochimaru and used for experimentation, and even now the boy was kept in a sealed water tank, unable to leave without the seal’s removal. 

“If that means I get to cut that bastard snake up, sure. But then you’ll probably just stick me back in the tank once you’re done, won’t you?” Suigetsu gave Karin a grin. 

“Not at all.” Karin shook her head. “The plan is simply to ensure your freedom when hell breaks loose, with the promise that you won’t harm any of our people. After that, you go where you please.”

“And what if I wanna cut you up too, huh? You’ve done just as much damage to people like me as the snake has.”

Karin glanced at Sasuke. Sasuke in turn looked to Suigetsu. He activated his Sharingan, and with a small push of his thumb moved the blade of his sword slightly out from his sheath.

Suigetsu laughed.

“Ah, so you’ll sic your dog on me? Priceless, but at least you’ve got a contingency plan.”

“A future Otokage has to be prepared.” Karin retorted. “I’ve even got a little something extra for you that’ll whet your appetite. You help us out with this revolution, and I’ll point you in the direction of something  _ real _ nice.”

This, Sasuke had not heard from her yet. He turned to her, as confused as Suigetsu. He saw a smile spread across Karin’s face.

“What if I told you I could point you in the direction of the Samehada?”

...oh, that was  _ good _ . Even Sasuke could admit that. Karin wasn’t just pulling Suigetsu to her side, she was fulfilling her end of the bargain to  _ him _ .

Itachi had last been seen in the company of the rogue Kisame Hoshigaki. Sasuke remembered seeing the monster of a sword in that shinobi’s hands...and if Suigetsu wanted Samehada, he could be a distraction. Keep Kisame off his back while he approached Itachi. Karin really was a clever girl.

And Suigetsu had taken the bait. His smug look had transformed to one of interest, and he leaned forward in the water, now very serious. “Listen, Uzumaki. You point me in the direction of that sword and I’ll do whatever your little heart desires. I’ll be the one to unite the seven swords of Kiri once again.  _ That _ is a promise.”

“Unite them?” Sasuke spoke up. “...so you would want the Kubikiribocho, would you not?”

“Well,  _ duh _ , Uchiha, that’s what uniting them  _ means _ !”

“Then you’ll get the blade, once Karin is Otokage. Then, if you still desire Samehada, I shall lead you to it. Our goals will align.” Sasuke pressed an open hand against the glass. They could not shake hands, but this was the next best thing. “I will swear if you do.”

Suigetsu did not hesitate. His hand also pressed the glass, mirroring Sasuke. 

“Better keep that promise. Just when will this little revolution be anyway?”

“Not soon.” Karin explained. “We have much to do. But when the time comes…” She pulled out a violet bandanna, making a show of wrapping it around her arm. “Our people will be wearing these. You got that? No chopping up anyone on our side.”

“Fine, fine. No chopping purple. But you know...Orochi’s not stupid. He’s probably already aware you’re up to something.”

“I know. In fact, I’m counting on it.” Karin insisted. “But I’ve got a trump card. While Orochimaru’s dealing with the threat he thinks is in front of him...he misses something obvious right next to him. Don’t you even worry.”

Sasuke wasn’t sure what Karin’s trump card was, but as the two of them left Suigetsu’s chamber, she did not seem to lose any of her confidence. She was sure of herself, which meant Sasuke had to be too.

The day was coming. The day where he would be strong enough to face his brother. But before that…

Kabuto had told him that Sakura had aided a rebellion in the newly dubbed Land Hidden in Plains. And Sasuke was never one to let anyone show him up.

 

-

 

“Sakura Haruno has arrived, sir. Along with the traitor.” 

Danzo did not look from his papers. This was typical for him. His agents would often give dozens of reports throughout the day, and if he was too distracted from his other workings by said reports, he’d never finish anything. This news, specifically, did not come as a surprise to him. He had known for several days now that the newly dubbed ‘Shinobi Ambassador’ would be arrive within the village walls, along with the agent she had wrestled away from him. Her arrival was simply one step of many in his plans.

“Estimated time for others?”

“Sunagakure’s shinobi will be arriving in eight days. Iwa will arrive in ten, and the new Plains in similar time. Kusa and Tani will arrive in two weeks time. Ame is yet unconfirmed. Kumo has declined Konoha’s invitation, and Kiri is likely still in upheaval, so they are not expected to arrive.”

“You are dismissed.”

The agent left, as silently as he had arrived. Two weeks, then, until everyone had arrived. Two weeks to ensure every piece was in place. 

There was much to do, so much to do, always so much. But for Konoha?

Danzo would do anything.

 

-

 

In the darkness of his room, Shikamaru moved pieces on a dusty board. With near silent taps, he pushed piece after piece into place. He did not stop until each side was set up in starting position. 

The starting positions, however, were not equal. That was not how this game had begun.

The opposing side had gotten a plethora of time to set up their pieces. To some, the game might have seemed decided from the start.

But Shikamaru wouldn’t give up this game so easily.

He moved a single piece on his side of the board. It might be some time before he could move a piece again. All of the pieces had not yet arrived. In a small box next to the board, the remaining pieces waited.

There was still time. And Shikamaru had one advantage that the enemy did not.

He was aware of all of the pieces on the board.

The enemy was not. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Ha. Managed to get a small update out after all.
> 
> This intermission is probably more of a tease than anything else. As always, I'll enjoy hearing what you guys are thinking. ;) ))


	45. Chapter 45

If Sakura had to decide which of her two parents she’d gotten her personality from, without a doubt she would have said her father.

It was Kizashi himself who answered the door, and the silence was over in a split second as he called out her name and pulled her into a bear hug that threatened to crack open her spine. Sakura was grateful for Gaara’s restraint. She knew the boy was defensive, and through her father’s arms she saw floating sand around her at the ready, held back only by Gaara’s realization that she wasn’t, in fact, in danger.

“H-hey Dad…” Sakura managed to wheeze. “Good to see you too.” 

“You are in  _ so _ much trouble, young lady!” Kizashi pulled away so he could look Sakura in the eyes, and though his tone was angry, Sakura could see genuine relief on his face. “Leaving the village with a note like that, how could you  _ do _ this to your father? I’ve been worried  _ sick _ !” 

“I’m sorry…” Sakura winced, already prepared for the lecture that was to come, and boy  _ did it _ . Her father had quite the set of lungs on him, and once he got started the lecture didn’t stop. And Sakura knew what to expect. Worrying her mother sick, wondering where she was, wondering if she was alive or dead…

Sakura stole a glance behind her, curious what the boys were thinking. Gaara looked confused, but Sai looked...curious. Sakura wondered if Sai even knew who his own parents were. And Gaara, of course...never known his mother, and with the way his father treated him…

Did either of them know what a family was supposed to be like?

“ _ Dad _ !” Sakura interjected. “I can take the lecture later, but I brought guests, you know? Can we at least take this inside?”

“And I swear if you ever pull this a-” Kizashi halted, blinking as he looked over Sakura’s shoulder. “...you brought guests? Well why didn’t you say so earlier! Get them on in here, we’ll show them the Haruno hospitality!” 

Kizashi swung the front door wide open, gesturing for them to come inside. Sakura let the boys in first, hesitating at the entrance. Her father had stopped too, briefly looking towards the nearby houses. Sakura heard one window snap shut, and then another.

“Dad…”

“Inside, little Shimi. We’ll talk later.”

The house was as she remembered it: lined with bookshelves, all handmade by her father. Her mother had been the one to fill most of them. There were books on more subjects than Sakura had ever had the time to read: carpentry, architecture, cooking, sewing, politics, philosophy...her father called her a bookworm, but it was her mother who’d earned the title long before she’d ever been born. Her mother was the head of the public library, meant for civilian use. Sakura had been surrounded by books since before she’d known how to walk. Coming back to this, seeing the rows and rows of pages... _ this _ was what home was to her.

“We haven’t touched your bedroom.” Kizashi admitted, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We knew it was only a matter of time before you came home. Just never expected you to go off so far.  _ Earth _ country, Sakura, really?”

“Yup.” Sakura grinned. “I have a lot to tell you about.”

“Wait ‘til your mother gets home. Guess I’ll be making dinner for five tonight!”

 

-

 

Sakura knew better than to interfere when her father had reign of the kitchen, and if they were going to be staying here a while, she needed to figure out living arrangements. Gaara didn’t need a bed, but Sai definitely would...and there was a part of her that worried about leaving him in a room alone, even if he was technically protected under the neutrality pact. She led them upstairs, rummaging in a small closet along the way until she found an inflatable mattress. Once upon a time, when Ino used to stay the night, she’d use it so she had a place to sleep. It would do for Sai, Sakura supposed.

Her room was untouched, as her father had claimed. Neatly organized, bed made, and a picture of Team Seven still in its primary spot on her dresser. There was a bit of dust on the frame, and Sakura lingered long enough to dust it off with her hand. Naruto had grown almost a foot since the picture had been taken, and she’d probably grown as well. And Sasuke...she could only wonder.

“So that’s the Uchiha?”

Sakura turned at the sound of Sai’s voice. He was looking over her shoulder, frowning.

“Doesn’t look like much to me.”

“I wouldn’t be so cocky.” Sakura chuckled. “He was one of the strongest shinobi I knew before he left the village. Now that he’s trained under Orochimaru, who knows how strong he’s become?”

“So what?” Sai shrugged. “You’ve trained under the Tsuchikage. He’s trained under the Otokage. Doesn’t make him special. Just means he probably knows how to throw some snakes around.”

Sakura frowned. “You know, Sai, I could say the same about your people skills. You better watch your mouth around my parents, okay?”

Sai put on one of his fake smiles. “Grumpy’s right. You’re still touchy about him, aren’t you?”

Sakura gently punched the boy’s arm. “Idiot. He was my teammate.”

“Oh? Then what does that make us?” Sai rubbed his arm. “You were part of that team for five months. You’ve been with Gaara for more than half a year at least, if not close to a whole. Me, about just as long. But it’s not very long at all. Not really. Yet you’re willing to throw your life on the line for each of us. Isn’t it strange, getting attached to someone like that so quickly?”

“What, are you saying you’d rather I’d let Root have their way with you? And you’re one to talk, you know.” Sakura poked Sai in the chest, accusingly. “You’re the one who decided to join up with us.”

“...yes. And it’s certainly strange.” 

His eyes flickered towards the window, and Sakura’s followed suit. There was nothing there, just a few trees and the roofs of houses...but perhaps that’s not what Sai saw. Root were elite shinobi, and Sakura was more than certain that several sets of eyes would be kept on her from the moment she set foot in the village until the moment she left. Now that she looked at Sai, she could see a small hint of fear and worry in his eyes.

One misstep, and Sai’s life was on the line. He wasn’t just accusing her of being clingy...he was questioning  _ himself _ . Questioning his own decision to break away from the only thing he’d ever known...questioning if he’d make it out of Konoha alive.

Sakura reached out, this time gently putting her hand over Sai’s own. “Strange isn’t bad.” She told him, forcing a smile. “Every great shinobi has been a little off beat from everyone else. You don’t make waves unless you’re a bit strange!” Her grin became more genuine as she thought of Naruto, as strange as you could get at times. Boisterous, mischievous, always clad in orange...he wasn’t exactly what came to mind when one thought of a shinobi. But Naruto was going to be one of the greats, of that Sakura had no doubt. 

Sai looked downwards, not meeting Sakura’s eyes. He still looked worried, to be sure, but...there was something else there, something Sakura couldn’t quite put a finger on. But he didn’t pull away from her touch, so perhaps she’d said something right.

Once her backpack was set down and her weapons unpacked, Sakura made her way back towards the stairs. She found Gaara there, looking at the portraits of her family that lined the wall. He had a hand out, touching the side of one of the frames.

“Gosh, that one’s so old!” Sakura chuckled as she looked. That particular picture, she’d been six years old. Her parents were holding her up in front of the academy, her very first day. Sakura had been grinning like a loon. Neither of her parents had been capable of becoming shinobi, their chakra reserves too small. But Sakura had made the cut. The first of the Harunos to be capable of joining. “I look a bit like a dork, don’t I? But I guess I was just a kid.”

“It looks...nice.”

It clicked all at once, and Sakura grinned slyly. “We’ll get a picture taken while we’re here, alright? My parents have a camera. We can sit out back under the trees for a nice background.”

Gaara looked like a happy child at the mention of that, and Sakura couldn’t help but giggle in excitement. The first photograph since…

Well, since Team Seven. 

Sakura’s smile faltered. Was it strange that she felt guilty? Naruto had been so eager to see her, but really, after all this time...he was more a part of Team Ten then he ever had been part of Seven. And now, much like Sai had said...she’d spent more time with him and Gaara than she’d spent with Naruto and Sasuke. It was almost like they’d been replaced. 

The thought weighed heavy on her mind as they made their way downstairs to the dining room, just in time to see her mother arrive. Mebuki Haruno was far more reserved than her husband in demeanor, and instead of accosting her, she simply came and put a warm hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“Was it a good trip, Sakura?” 

And maybe she  _ had _ replaced Team Seven...and maybe that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe, just maybe there hadn’t been much of Team Seven left to salvage. She hadn’t lost Naruto or Kakashi, she’d simply shifted her goals. And she’d  _ gained _ Gaara and Sai. No, she shouldn’t feel guilt over that. She doubted Naruto felt guilty. He would have simply told her to do what she thought was right.

“Yes.” Sakura answered with a smile. “I’d say it was pretty good.”

 

-

 

“So you’re the Kazekage’s son?  _ Ha _ , I knew my girl was making friends in high places.” Kizashi laughed heartily over his meal, and he reached out a hand to pat Gaara’s back, completely missing the thin layer of sand that shielded Gaara from the touch. “Course, Suna’s got a new Kazekage from what I hear. We’re supposed to see them at the upcoming exams, I think.”

“There’s many village Kage coming this year.” Mebuki added. “I believe it is because of you, Sakura. They are curious about the treaty.”

“Well, I guess that’s good. It means I won’t have to travel to them. Do you know everyone who’s coming, Mom?”

“I hear rumors at the library. They say Ame’s new kage is going to be coming. No one knows who that is either, not since Hanzo’s death.”

“So...lots of surprises.” Sakura groaned. “The last thing I need while I’m here. Mom, if you can find out anything at all…”

“You know I’ll tell you.” Mebuki gave a curt nod. “And, who is the other boy you’ve brought to the table?”

“Oh, that’s Sai!” Sakura looked nervously over at Sai, daring to send a prayer to Jashin that he wouldn’t say anything weird. “He’s, ah, another shinobi from here in Konoha, but he’s joined up with me as an ambassador.”

“It’s good to meet you.” Sai put on one of his trademark fake smiles. “Your home is…”

Sakura held her breath. Sai paused, for about a moment too long. He was thinking, what would he  _ say _ …

“...average.”

The table was quiet. Sakura noted that her father was mid bite, and Gaara looked as though he was going to knock Sai across the table.

“Hmm.” Mebuki answered cooly. “Said well by someone who embodies the word.”

Sakura spit her drink. She’d forgotten how slick her mother could be with her words. It seemed to catch Sai off guard, but he recovered quickly.

“I like your mother.” He said simply. “She knows how to act normally.” 

Sakura groaned. Now Sai was just going to be encouraged. But...it wasn’t the worst thing he could have said. Maybe, little by little, he was improving.

 

-

 

Sakura found herself outside watching the sunset after dinner. Mebuki had already wrestled the boys into helping clean up, though secretly she knew that her mother was just trying to give her and her father some time alone. Kizashi didn’t take long to come sit outside next to her, a long pipe in hand. Sakura still hated the smell of smoke, but she’d given up convincing him out of the habit a long time ago.

“They’re a little strange, those boys, but they’ll do.” Kizashi commented, taking a long, deep breath of the night air. “As long as they keep my little girl safe, that is. But it sounds like you’ve become a capable shinobi in your own right.”

“I’ve certainly tried.” Sakura admitted. “As the first Haruno shinobi, I have to make a statement, right?”

“You’ve...definitely done that.” Kizashi’s eyes narrowed. “They talk about you, you know. All the neighbors. The shinobi that pass through.”

“...oh.”

Sakura remembered the glare of the shinobi at the gate. Were the civilians, too, thinking of her so poorly? Did rumors spread so quickly?

“We’re the parents of a traitor to the village.” Kizashi continued. “They don’t understand what you’re up to, I don’t think. You need to watch yourself. We hear things, your mother and I. Half the village thinks you’re going to see the village to its downfall. Or that you really did take after your old teammate.”

“I’m doing this for  _ peace _ .”

“And you know better than anyone that shinobi politics have led to plenty of wars in the past, little Shimi. Civilians suffer when shinobi go to war. We’re caught in the crossfire. Only time will convince them that your treaty is for the greater good.”

“And what do you think, Dad?” Sakura looked to her father, desperate. “Do you...do you think it’s a lost cause too?”

“Course not. My little girl’s the one running it. Bookwork and papers...that’s always how you excelled at the academy. Fighting was never your strong suit, it was  _ knowledge _ . Mebuki’s the only one who can run that library because she can keep track of hundreds of issues at once. You’re her daughter. Your mind is your weapon.” He put a hand on her head, grinning from ear to ear. “I don’t care what those idiots next door think. You’re my pride and joy, that didn’t change even when you left home. I always knew you left for a good reason.”

Sakura smiled. Her parents had always been supportive, that much was true, but hearing the words was a confirmation she’d needed. 

“I’ll be in the basement, little Shimi. Do you want to lend me a hand?” 

It had been well over a year since Sakura had helped her father with his woodworking. Ever since she’d become a shinobi, she’d always come home too exhausted. A part of her wanted to help him now but...she had time, and for now there was too much to think about.

“Tomorrow, maybe? Once I’ve had a good rest.”

“I’ll save you some work then.” Her father rustled her hair one last time before leaving her alone.

From there, it was quiet, with only the rustling of the leaves to keep her company. Her family’s backyard had always been a peaceful place to study. Sakura had fond memories of her mother reading to her under the large tree in the back, and memories still of her and Ino planting flower seeds, with Ino telling her each one’s meaning as they grew in. Her childhood had been a pleasant one, all things considered.

How tragic to think that so many people precious to her hadn’t been given that luxury. And how many more wouldn’t get to experience that peace, having been forced into war at an early age? Having been made into Jinchuuriki, pulled into Root?

Sakura’s fist clenched tight. She hadn't come home for a nice reprieve. She had two missions now, and she couldn’t let herself get distracted. 

As if on cue, Sakura felt something. Energy, approaching her at a rapid pace. She closed her eyes, focusing on her sensing jutsu. Yes, that sort of energy was unmistakably-

Orange landed in front of her, and a sloppy grin. “Sakura, Sakura!” Naruto tried to whisper, but his voice still held excitement. “Come on, you gotta go! We’re all meeting up at Shikamaru’s!”

“Shika’s?” Sakura blinked, then looked back towards the house. “They can come too, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I think he said they could. Gaara and...um…” Naruto paused for a moment, thinking. “...Tai?”

“Sai.” Sakura corrected him gently. “Naruto, you need to get better at remembering names if you’re going to be the Hokage, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, Granny’s always telling me.” Naruto crossed his arms with a frown. Then, he suddenly held his hand out, pretending to write on it with one finger. “She showed me this thing that helps though! She says if you write a name on your hand three times then you never forget it!”

“Oh really?” Sakura couldn’t help but smile at that. Tsunade had got Naruto figured out: Naruto learned better by doing. By combining action with the memorization...of  _ course _ he’d remember things more easily.

“Sai, Sai, Sai…”

“What do you want?” 

Naruto flinched as Sai appeared next to him. “A-ah, I didn’t want you! I was just trying to, um-”

“Is my name so difficult to remember? Hmm. So you’re...Brainless.” Sai gave Naruto a smile, and Sakura winced. Naruto had never responded well to Sasuke’s teasing, and Sai was even  _ worse _ . Sure enough, she could practically see Naruto’s blood begin to boil.

“Why you little-!” 

Naruto looked at though he was about to throw a punch. Then, all at once, Naruto stopped. He let out an angry grunt, then took a deep breath. Then, he began to pace, counting out loud as he did.

“One, two, three, four…”

“Hmm? What are you doing, Naruto?” Sakura watched curiously.

“Granny says if someone I don’t like says something irritating, I should take a deep breath and count to twenty.” Naruto insisted. “Then, if I still want to punch them, they deserve it. Nine, ten, eleven…”

“...maybe I should take some tips from Tsunade.” Sakura admitted with a chuckle. If she could even get  _ Naruto _ to hold his temper…

Or maybe, just maybe, it was Naruto starting to grow up.

It didn’t take long for Gaara to join them, and then the four of them were leaping off into the night. Sakura realized that she’d never really been to the Nara compound before. It was on the outskirts of the village, bordering a forest that the Nara used to raise their deer herds. Outsiders were forbidden without the consent of the clan. (Typically for all clans, usually, who were fairly protective of their clan secrets.)

That night, however, the Nara compound was full of visitors, familiar faces. Sakura was pleased to see Ino and Chouji, as well as Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. All of the remaining members of the Rookie Nine...a true homecoming. Chouji had brought snacks, of course, and with that Shikamaru began to lead them out into the woods.

“You know no shinobi can come out here into the Nara forest.” Shikamaru explained to her as they walked. “So, that means we can talk freely. We’ve been using this as a base for our top secret S-ranked mission.”

“S-ranked mission?”

“Operation: Konoha Revival.” Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. “...Naruto picked it,  _ not _ me.”

“If it’s an S-ranked mission, it has to have a cool name!” Naruto insisted. “Otherwise what’s the point?”

“But before we talk, we need to straighten something out.”

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks, turning to face Sai. “Rather, we need to straighten out things with  _ you _ .”

Sai stopped as well, though he kept his smile on his face. “Oh? So, unlike Brainless here, you can actually think.”

Sakura briefly caught sight of Naruto starting to pace again. Shikamaru, of course, was unphased.

“You’ve claimed to have sided with Sakura and abandoned Root. But we have to confirm that’s true. After all, what better way to ingratiate yourself to Root again than by exposing the shinobi that want to take them down?”

Sakura froze. It was something that she hadn’t even considered, despite how obvious it was. Still, if she couldn’t trust Sai, after everything…

“You can trust him.”

Sakura was surprised to see  _ Gaara _ step forward. He had stayed quiet all during the Nine’s reunion, and during the walk. In fact, ever since he’d stepped foot into Konoha’s borders, he’d barely spoken much at all. He’d talked briefly with Naruto, but otherwise had kept his distance. It was Sakura who knew all of the Konoha shinobi, after all, not him, so perhaps Sakura could understand. She’d learned that Gaara had a shyness around those he wasn’t used to. But now, to speak up to those strangers, in defense of  _ Sai _ …

“If he wasn’t trustworthy, he wouldn’t be here.” Gaara continued, glancing over to Sai as he spoke. “He would be  _ dead _ .”

Sakura felt a small chill fall over the group at that, though Sai didn’t look nervous at all. If anything, Sakura could have sworn she felt relief.

“Sakura…” Ino whispered in her ear. “You know, I’ve read all your letters, but...Gaara still seems really  _ scary _ .”

Sakura laughed nervously. “Listen, he’s just trying to make sure Shikamaru knows he’s serious, that’s all. And he’s right.” She straightened up, turning to face Shikamaru. “Look, I trust him too. He’s been by my side all this time and proven-”

“No offense, Sakura, but I think I’ll trust Gaara’s words over yours in this instance. After all, you defended Sasuke to your last breath.”

Sakura’s breath hitched, and this time Naruto couldn’t hold back. He appeared in front of Shikamaru all at once, teeth bared. “Shikamaru, don’t you dare bring Sasuke into this!”

“This is precisely why I  _ have _ to, Naruto. I know you and Sakura care about him, but he  _ left _ us. It doesn’t matter how much you trusted him, that didn’t stop him from leaving. Your trust was  _ misplaced _ .” Shikamaru argued. “You both care about people deeply. I get that. That’s precisely why I can’t trust your judgment in this sort of situation. Sakura is the kind of person who will defend Sai to her last breath. Gaara, however, does not have this track record. If he trusts Sai, then Sai is trustworthy.” Though Naruto had grown taller than Shikamaru, it was still Shikamaru that looked as though he was dominating the conversation. Even in his rage, Sakura realized...Naruto had come to respect Shikamaru’s leadership. 

And to Sakura’s surprise, Naruto stood down.

Well, she couldn’t let Naruto show her up in maturity. Sakura calmed herself, looking over to Gaara. “Alright. So you can’t trust my word, but you can trust Gaara’s. So does that mean you’re okay with Sai being here?”

“Actually, I was sort of counting on him being here.” Shikamaru admitted. “Now that the three of you are here, we can start discussing our plans.”

Chouji brought out a picnic blanket, and the ten of them sat and began to talk.

Team Eight had been the most active since the ‘mission’ had began. As a squad that specialized in reconnaissance, they’d been the most suited to gathering preliminary information about Root. Hinata in particular had proven, by coincidence, to be the best suited to the task, due to her being the heir to the Hyuga clan. Clan heads met periodically to discuss village politics, alongside the Hokage and the three elder council members.

“I had the thought at one of the meetings that it would make sense for the head of Root to be someone who has a lot of influence…” Hinata admitted. “But it couldn’t be a clan head. The Third Hokage wouldn’t have let one clan have so much influence. That narrowed it down to the three council members…”

“That’s when we had the bright idea to have Shino start bugging them!” Kiba interjected. “It was super easy! Shino had a few of his bugs stay with Hinata during a meeting, then had them slowly make their way onto the council members while they were distracted with the talks. It only took a couple of days to confirm it!”

“Yes. It was easy to deduce.” Shino confirmed. “Why? Because of the three council members, only one consistently went underground, meeting with dozens of shinobi daily. The other three mostly spend their time at home, or in the Hokage tower to meet with Lady Tsunade. Thus, we concluded that it must be Danzo Shimura who is the head of Root.”

Nine eyes looked towards Sai for confirmation. Sai blinked before speaking. “Well, I cannot exactly confirm or deny it.” He said with a shrug before sticking out his tongue. Sakura briefly saw the black lines marking his seal. “I’m not allowed to speak of anything regarding Root secrets.”

“Then don’t speak it.” Shikamaru countered. “Just give a thumbs up if we’re right.” 

Sai blinked again. Slowly, he moved his hand to give Shikamaru a thumbs up. “Oh.” Sai said. “...maybe it’s Danzo who’s been brainless this whole time.” 

“I imagine it’s mostly meant to deter interrogators who think they can torture information out of you. If they see a seal like that, they might assume there’s no possible way for you to give information without paralyzing yourself. Danzo never assumed a member of Root would turn on him.”

“...yes, perhaps so.”

“That means we do have a confirmation method.” Shikamaru grinned. “Perfect. That means we have at least one witness.”

“Witness?” Sakura thought for a moment. “You’re planning on bringing Danzo to trial?”

“Yes.” Shikamaru confirmed. “But we can’t do it yet. Root is an officially sanctioned Konoha organization. We can’t bring Danzo to trial simply for leading an organization that the Hokage herself has allowed to exist. What we need is proof of Root’s  _ actual _ crimes.” He pulled out a scroll, unrolling it for all to read. “Through Sakura and our own investigations, we have two leads. One is Root’s removal of Konoha children to train in their program. It’s not going to be enough to convict them of anything; they’ll likely have covered their tracks and claim that these children willingly joined them. In fact, this is likely why Root has mostly focused on orphans for their recruits. However…” Shikamaru gestured towards Shino.

“Shikamaru had originally thought that Root wouldn’t dare risk taking clan children. Why? For fear of invoking the wrath of the clan.” Shino began. “However, I can say with absolute certainty that this is not the case. This is because Root approached myself and my cousin when we were young in an attempt to recruit us.”

“What?” Sakura blinked. “They tried to  _ recruit _ you?”

“Correct. Though I felt uneasy accepting Root’s invitation, my cousin, who had recently lost his father, accepted the invitation. I believe he hoped to find purpose working in Konoha’s underground. I have not seen him since, and thought little of it until recently. When I asked my parents what they believed happened to my cousin, they informed me that he had died on a mission. Since this conflicted with what I saw happen in my youth, I realized the possibility that Root might be misleading clans by claiming their shinobi had passed in battle, when in actuality they had been recruited. Following that logic, one could make the reasonable argument that Root has been taking children from clans without their permission.”

“The clans will riot if they find out.” Ino added. “Every single clan is going to be questioning if their members have simply died, or if it was faked by Root. All we need on that front is to show that Shino’s cousin has really been in Root all along.”

“And Shino’s already confirmed it. His kikaichu could easily sense his cousin’s hive. In terms of evidence, we got this one in the bag.” Kiba said with a grin.

“So why wait?” Sakura asked. “Why not bring this up to the Hokage right away?”

“Because that’s not enough.” Shikamaru explained. “There are a dozens of shinobi in Root, possibly a couple hundred. All of them are elite shinobi, potentially clan members. If we try to bring Root down, it’s possible that Danzo will use it as an excuse to start a coup. Right now, he believes himself to be hidden, manipulating things from the shadows. That’s how he likes it. If we bring him into the light, there’s no longer a reason to behave himself. No point in letting the Hokage be his figurehead. He might just try to take over.”

“So what you’re saying is that it’s pointless to go after Root. What we need to do is go after Danzo himself.” Sakura confirmed. 

“Right. Cut off the head and the body won’t know what to do. Without Danzo, Root will likely fall apart. Even if they don’t, they’ve been trained to be loyal to Konoha to the death. If not Danzo, they’ll listen to the Hokage next. From there, Tsunade can disband Root and integrate the agents back into Konoha proper.”

“Alright. But you mentioned two leads into Root, didn’t you?”

“I did.” Shikamaru nodded. “Though the second one has only come up recently, and it came from you, Sakura. You remember what you told me about what Itachi said to you?”

“Wait, you met up with  _ Itachi _ ?” Naruto spoke up. “Where was he? What was he doing?”

“We saw him on the border of Taki.” Sakura explained. “He confronted me and asked after Sasuke. When I told him he’d driven Sasuke off to Orochimaru, he...suggested that it wasn’t what he’d meant for Sasuke. And that someone had promised him they’d keep Sasuke safe.”

“At first, I thought that Itachi might be delusional.” Shikamaru began. “After all, he murdered his entire clan, only leaving Sasuke alive. Why would there be anyone that condoned that behavior? Who would have promised Itachi  _ anything _ after Itachi butchered a clan?”

“...it sounds like you might have an answer.”

“Not yet. Nothing confirmed. But it’s a lead we have to follow. And that’s where our current plans come into play. There are two places we can look to find out more information about Itachi.” Shikamaru pointed to Naruto. “And Naruto is our best man for the first place.”

“That’s right, I’m the best!” Naruto grinned. “...wait, why am I the best?”

“The Hokage has files on every shinobi that has ever existed in the village. I would wager even those who have gone rogue. What I need first is access to all of Itachi’s files, and as the Hokage’s pupil, you, Naruto, are in the best position to get ahold of them. So, Naruto, this is your new mission, assigned by me. Get me that file, and make sure nobody knows you’ve gotten it.  _ Especially _ not Root.”

“Roger!” Naruto saluted. “You know me, I’m the stealthiest shinobi around! I’ll get you those files no problem!”

“Let Team Eight be your backup, Naruto. If anything seems too troublesome, use them to help you out. And that leaves Team Ten and Sakura’s group for my second mission.” Shikamaru continued. “And that mission is potentially the most dangerous of all. What we need to do...is infiltrate and investigate the Uchiha clan compound.”

Sakura swallowed. “Shika...if  _ you _ get caught doing that, it might be considered treason. If  _ I _ get caught doing that, it could undo everything I’ve set out to accomplish with the neutrality pact. Nobody in any village would ever trust me again.”

“You’re right.” Shikamaru agreed. “In fact, outside of Sasuke, nobody has been allowed inside the clan compound since the massacre. Or rather, nobody is  _ capable _ of getting inside. It’s sealed by a powerful barrier that will only allow those of Uchiha blood to enter. Even getting inside to clean up the massacre took the work of the Hokage and several seal-masters in order to breach it. Seal-masters that I theorize may have been a part of Danzo’s Root.”

“If Root did the clean-up, doesn’t that mean there’s probably nothing left there of use?”

“Potentially. It’s possible we won’t find anything of use at all. But I have an inkling we might just find something if we know where to look, and in order to get inside, I need  _ your _ help specifically, Sakura.”

“Me?” Sakura frowned. “I don’t really know any seal-work, Shika.”

“Neither do I.” Shikamaru agreed. “Thankfully, if we play our cards right, we won’t need any sealwork. Remember when I asked you to send me a list of all of the skills you had at your disposal?”

“Yeah, about a month ago, right?” Sakura nodded. “So you’re saying something I know how to do can help.”

“Bingo.” Shikamaru agreed. “And I can almost guarantee that we won’t get caught. All we need to ensure is that nobody will know that you’re missing for a long period of time. For that, we need Ino.”

“Me?” Ino pointed at herself. “How so?”

“Sakura’s been your friend since you were children. It’s only natural she’d want to spend a day catching up with you, right?” Shikamaru pointed out. “And Gaara...you’ve spent all this time with Sakura. Do you think you could effectively make a sand clone and mimic her for a few hours?”

“Yes. But I couldn’t go far from it.”

“You won’t have to. I know you won’t like it, but everyone expects you and Sai to be joined to Sakura’s hip while she’s here. While your sand clone is with Ino, you and Sai will be nearby to watch over it, still playing the part of her bodyguards.”

“You mean...letting Sakura go alone with you.” Gaara frowned. “You’re correct. I don’t like it.”

“There won’t be anyone in the compound to hurt her, if I’ve read the situation right. Just me and her, in and out, back before anyone realizes what’s up.”

“And this is necessary? No other way?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Alright.” Gaara nodded. “Then we will do it.” 

Sakura couldn’t help but swallow again, nervous. Infiltrating the Uchiha compound...what would Sasuke think of her if he ever found out? And the other villages, if she was discovered…

But Shikamaru  _ was _ the smartest person she knew. If he thought there was something in the compound to discover, she had to trust him.

“We do it.” Sakura agreed. “Whenever you’re ready, Shikamaru.”

“Tomorrow then. The quicker we do it, the more time we have to analyze what we find. After all, we don’t have much time before the next step of our plan.”

“The next step?”

“Right. The chuunin exams are coming up, and both our teams will be participating. That’ll be limiting the ability we have to research...but it will also mark the next phase of the plan. Because, if I’m correct, Danzo will be making  _ his _ move at that time as well.” Shikamaru looked to Sakura, as serious as ever. “Danzo...either he or someone under his influence going to ask you to do something in the coming weeks. Something that’s going to seem ridiculous. Maybe even stupid. You should protest it, claim you don’t want to do it...but whatever happens, you  _ have _ to do it.”

“That’s...really ominous, Shikamaru.” Sakura frowned. “Why would I want to do something that Danzo wants me to do? And what do you think he’s going to ask, anyway?”

Shikamaru put a finger to his lips. “It’ll be more genuine if I don’t tell you, but you’ll know when the time comes. And at that time...you’ll know what the next step of the plan is. Trust me.”

So much she didn’t know...so much she  _ wanted _ to know. But she was the one who had brought Shikamaru into this. She couldn’t pull back now.

“I trust you.” She confirmed. 

And only time would tell if her judgment was correct.

 

-

 

It was almost pitch black as she made her way back home, Gaara and Sai close behind her. They were silent as they returned, each of them still mulling over what had been discussed in the Nara compound. Even as they each settled in for the night, Sakura found herself too anxious to fall asleep just yet. She made her way to the roof of her house, spreading out against the tiles and looking up at the stars. She couldn’t wrestle the feeling of dread from her heart, and likely wouldn’t until Danzo was dealt with. And who knew when that would be? Sometime after the chuunin exams, but what could the exams possibly do to help them?

Sakura thought back to her own exam a year ago. So much had happened then...so much had  _ changed _ . Sasuke had met Orochimaru...Naruto had met Jiraiya and started harnessing the power of the Fox...and she had realized, for the first time, what she would have to do to become a true shinobi. Were these exams destined to be another beacon of change? Would everything she knew get turned on its head, once again?

Sakura took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Only time would tell, she supposed. She put her hands around the amulet at her neck, letting herself lull into a meditative state. Out of instinct, she let her sensing jutsu pulse out around her. She sensed Gaara and Sai below, sensed the vague energies of the shinobi stationed around the village, and…

_ And? _

Something...nearby.

Sakura opened her eyes, squinting in the darkness. On a rooftop, one house over, Sakura saw her.

A woman, dressed in a long black coat. Even in the darkness, Sakura could see the brilliant blue of her hair. 

Then, as the wind blew and pushed against them, the woman’s image seemed to flutter away and fade into the night. 

Sakura stood up, looking around and sending out her sensing pulse again. There was no sign of the signature, nothing like what she’d sensed before. Was she losing it? The woman’s signal had been so faint that she’d barely picked up on it at all. So faint that, before her time with Itachi, Sakura might not have even been  _ capable _ of sensing it. 

Maybe she was just tired. Maybe she’d been seeing shadows. But something told her, something  _ insisted _ …

No.

Her troubles at Konoha had only just begun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((To make up for not posting last week, here's an extra long chapter. 
> 
> I always had to wonder about the Root seal. Does it only activate on speaking? If you wrote down information, would the seal stop you? The manga only mentions speaking, so I like to assume that this was an oversight that I, the humble fanfic writer, can take advantage of and twist to my own means. 
> 
> This might apply to a lot of things in canon, honestly.
> 
> Also, for all you newcomers who've been binging this so quickly: you all are insane and I love you dearly.))


	46. Chapter 46

Sakura dreamed of red skies over Konoha.

The color red was sometimes just enough to make her heart freeze in her chest and put tremors through her very bones. Even putting on her clothes each morning could be enough to remind her of the visions Itachi had shown her, even getting a passing glance at the soft red sheen of Gaara’s hair could send her over the edge. But now, seeing red, Sakura did not feel fear. 

There was a strange effect on her dream now, and not just the redness that permeated over everything like a thin film. In most dreams, Sakura moved as she would awake. Even if she wasn’t completely lucid, she still acted as  _ herself _ . In this dream, however, she was not herself. She was Another. 

She did not feel fear at these red skies, because she was Another. Instead she felt only…

Resentment?

Yes, that was the emotion she felt now, faint, almost buried beneath the myriad of other strange sensations. Resentment towards the village she had grown up in and cherished. Resentment for what they had ~~_done to her_~~ allowed to happen. Resentment for those who lived in the illusion of peace ~~_while others laid in forgotten graves_~~ while wars were waged behind the scenes.

~~_ I will put this fragile world to rest. _ ~~

~~_ There will never be war again. _ ~~

And then Sakura’s eyes turned, moving impossibly fast and yet desperately slow towards the building next to her. When she caught sight of the window, she saw…

She saw…

_ Who are you? _

~~_ Who are you? _ ~~

 

-

 

Sakura awoke so smoothly that she was convinced she was still dreaming, her hand shooting forward to grasp at Gaara’s wrist before he could touch her shoulder. The sand swirled, and her hand pummeled against the hard grains before it could reach her companion.

For a moment, Sakura was simply confused. Never before had she moved fast enough to trigger Gaara’s sand, nor had she ever tried to. The sand protected him from anything it deemed hostile...was she acting  _ hostile _ ?

“Sakura…” Gaara’s voice held a tinge of worry. “You were...having bad dreams?”

“No.” Sakura answered immediately. Her voice felt strange in her throat. “I’m not sure what it was.”

Her amulet felt hot around her neck. Out of instinct, Sakura pushed herself out of bed so she could look across the room at her mirror. She saw herself, bed-hair and all, wrapped in the comfortable pajamas she hadn’t been able to wear since she’d left Konoha months ago. She saw  _ herself _ .

“Sakura?”

“I’m okay. Just...a weird dream. Not a bad one.”

She saw Sai resting on the mattress nearby, looking towards her with a gaze that was a bit too intense even for her to decipher. Confusion, or perhaps intrigue? Maybe even...distrust? Sai had always been difficult, and somehow the fact that he was learning how to  _ express  _ emotion made it even harder. Sometimes Sai would want to express happiness and come across as cold, and vice versa. 

Gaara, however? Definitely concerned. The boy could put on the facade of a stone face, but around Sakura he was always far more open. Sakura reached out again, this time slower and more gentle, so she could put her hand on his own.

“I’m okay.” She repeated. 

She didn’t believe herself, but for the boys, it was enough.

 

-

 

Breakfast was usually a quiet affair in the Haruno household. Sakura’s father needed at least an hour of movement before he could even be considered awake, and her mother liked her mornings calm. It worked well even with Gaara and Sai around, who were both somewhat quiet people by nature anyway, and it gave Sakura an opportunity to think without being drawn into conversation. 

At least, that was what she would have thought, until the front door was almost knocked down by the full force of Jinchuuriki enthusiasm.

“I’M LOOKING FOR SAKURA HARUNO! DOES SHE LIVE HERE?”

Sakura scrambled to get to the door, knowing full well that Fuu would wake up the whole neighborhood if she was allowed to knock for much longer. She sprinted to the door, pulling it open and narrowly dodging Fuu’s next attempt at a knock.

“Oh.” Fuu grinned. “I thought I smelled you in here. Shibuki told me if I didn’t go get energy out of my system, he’d kick me over the wall, so I thought I’d go tell you about what I found!” She sniffed the air. “Is that food?”

“...come on in, Fuu.” Sakura couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight of her friend. She knew how excited Fuu had been to see new sights and people. Being cooped up in a Konoha inn was likely torture. If a loud morning was the price to pay to give her some time out, Sakura was willing to pay it. Plus, in the Haruno household at least, there was always extra breakfast. 

“So I was walking around this morning looking for a place to watch the sunrise, cause you rarely get to see the sunrise when you’re in Taki, you know? Underground and all. And I was watching all the Konoha shinobi get up to go start their missions and whatnot.” Fuu talked as she made her way to the table, not even stopping for breath as she sat down next to Gaara. “And then I  _ saw _ her, Sakura.”

“Saw who?”

“The girl I’m gonna  _ marry _ .”

Sakura let herself laugh a little at this, mostly because Fuu’s optimism was just so  _ refreshing _ after the doom and gloom around planning the demise of Root. “You found your future wife, huh? Do you even know her name yet?”

“N-no. Yes. Maybe.” Fuu crossed her arms. “I’m not  _ stupid _ , I know I gotta know her name first before I marry her. But she’s a shinobi so I didn’t want to distract her from her duties by asking her out in front of her commander. She’s  _ your _ age though, Sakura, so I figured you’d be able to tell me who she was and maybe even introduce me!”

“My age?” Sakura only knew a couple of kunoichi her age in the village, so either Fuu was off or she meant either…

“...describe her for me.”

“How could I ever even  _ begin _ to describe her?” Fuu seemed to have stars in her eyes as she began to talk. “She has long, beautiful hair like midnight, and her eyes shine like  _ diamonds _ ...but like, it’s also a little weird? I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like that before, so I wonder if it’s like a clan thing, so she might even have some cool  _ power _ , wouldn’t it be awesome if she had a cool jutsu that only she could do?”

Sakura felt her heart sink. She knew  _ exactly _ who Fuu was talking about now, and...she was doomed.

“That’s Hinata Hyuuga you’re talking about.”

“Hinata…” Fuu said the name with reverence, completing missing Mebuki putting a plate of food in front of her. “That’s such a beautiful  _ name _ , Sakura you  _ have _ to introduce me now, you  _ have _ to!”

“I don’t know if she’s such a good idea, Fuu.” Sakura countered, trying her best to be gentle. “The Hyuuga are a really powerful clan here in Konoha, and she’s the heir to the main branch. I don’t know if her family would let her marry a foreigner, and you’re sworn to Taki.”

“T-that’s okay! I can be both!” Fuu insisted. “I can go half and half! We’re supposed to be aligned anyway, right, so I can do both!”

“...plus, she’s already got a crush on Naruto, and she’s had it bad since we were kids.”

“Naruto?” Fuu thought, then realized who Sakura meant. “The Kyuubi boy? Him? Naruto…” She stood up, sending her chair clattering to the floor as she held a fist to the air. “Naruto! Then that means that he’s my rival in love!” 

...well, she was handling the bad news well, at least.

“Sure, Fuu. He’s your rival.” Sakura giggled as she ate. “Though I don’t think Naruto’s put together that Hinata likes him that way, so please don’t go charging in for a fight without explaining it.”

“Oh, we’re not going to fight. Not yet.” Fuu insisted. She noticed Sakura eating and pulled her chair back up so she could start to inhale her own food, pausing occasionally to get her words out. “Oh no. Not yet. Because he’s taking the chuunin exams too, right? That means...I’m gonna kick his butt in the exams. I’m gonna kick his butt and I’m gonna look  _ great _ doing it, and Hinata will fall in love with me!” 

Sakura was fairly certain it wasn’t that easy, but...she wasn’t going to dissuade her. Even for Hinata’s sake, just having someone around who thought so highly of her from a single glance...it might do wonders for the girl’s self esteem. Plus, Naruto would probably be more than happy to have a Jinchuuriki rival that could keep up with him in a match. And as for Fuu...well, it was a long shot that this crush would ever come to fruition, but who was she to say what the future held? Hinata  _ was _ the Hyuuga heir, but it was a well known ‘secret’ that her father vastly preferred her younger sister Hinabi. Maybe the Hyuuga elder would be less strict with Hinata’s future prospects if he had already given up…

It was a sad situation that Hinata was in either way. Sakura felt for the girl. Naruto had made the declaration that he would change the Hyuuga clan, once he was Hokage. She only hoped that was something he could accomplish. 

Fuu, in the meanwhile...well, now she had a goal, Sakura supposed, which would be good for her. Plus, even if it didn’t work out with Hinata, getting friendly with the Hyuuga clan would be beneficial for Taki in the long run, and strengthening the new Konoha/Taki alliance. 

Sakura let herself bask in Fuu’s declarations as she ate. Maybe her optimism for the future would be contagious.

 

-

 

Gaara was more nervous here in Konoha than he’d ever been before in his life. 

It was perhaps exacerbated by the fact that Sakura was still having nightmares. She claimed she was fine, but Gaara knew she hadn’t slept so strangely before she’d had her run-in with Itachi. And on top of that, as of the night before, now  _ Shukaku _ was beginning to get worried, and the beast was vague as to the reasons why. All Gaara got were feelings of unease and a single, ominous phrase.

**_The energy that girl has with her...it reminds me of something._ **

Shukaku had been alive for centuries. Gaara still wasn’t sure if the reason for his vagueness was due to forgetfulness, or simply not wanting to say. Gaara promised himself he would interrogate Shukaku further that night, but for now there were more pressing matters to worry for. This was the evening that Sakura would attempt to infiltrate the Uchiha compound with the Nara, and that alone was a second worry. The last time Gaara had let Sakura wander off on her own, she’d had a run in with two Akatsuki. Maybe it was irrational, but Gaara couldn’t help but wonder what Sakura would run into  _ this _ time.

**The girl attracts trouble like a magnet.**

And yet, Gaara couldn’t bring himself to voice his concerns further. These plans were necessary, these actions necessary, and on top of that, Sakura looked so happy to see her childhood friends that he couldn’t bring himself to distract her from that. 

As they meandered their way through the Konoha streets, Gaara kept an eye on the surrounding people. Most were civilians, but peppered throughout were what Gaara had deduced to be several Anbu agents, no doubt ordered to keep an eye on the three of them. They were foreigners now, something Gaara was long used to experiencing at this point, but Sakura and Sai had never been ‘strangers’ in their own home. He wondered at first if Sakura had even thought that she might be being watched, but he occasionally saw her hands flicker in the sequence he’d come to recognize as her sensing jutsu. She was keeping an eye out, so perhaps she’d caught on yet.

They were going on an ‘important errand’ before their scheduled rendezvous with Ino in the evening, and Sakura hadn’t yet mentioned what the errand entailed. However, it eventually became clear as they reached the edge of a vast grassy field, a Konoha training ground. In the distance, Gaara saw three shinobi running laps, egged on by an enthusiastic sensei.

“The chuunin exams are in two weeks! You’re going to need to run faster than that if you want to be prepared!”

If any of the team protested, they were drowned out by the loud response of the bowl-cutted boy in front, who yelled his agreement before starting to sprint even faster around the grounds’ perimeter. Sakura was quiet at first, watching with a smile on her face.

“I remember them.” Sai commented quietly, so that only Gaara could hear. “Those two are...annoying.”

Gaara’s memory drew him back to a year ago. He remembered it...one of the first times he’d ever felt fear. A blur of green smashing through his sand with raw speed and force. The feeling of a fist breaking against his sand armor. Knowing, if he didn’t move fast enough, that something would  _ break _ …

Gaara felt a shudder work through him, and Sai took it for agreement. 

Sakura, however, considered him a dear friend. After watching him long enough, she cupped her mouth with her hands and yelled loud enough to reach the ears of the running shinobi.

“HEY LEE!”

Gaara saw the boy startle, looking about for the source of his name. Then, even from the great distance, Gaara saw a wide grin grow on his face.

“SAKURA!” 

Lee waved and jumped in the air, clearly excited, and then he began to run towards them. Only this run was even faster than his earlier jogging had been, so fast that Gaara’s memory overtook him again, and he felt the fear of facing down a foe that was  _ moving way too fast _ .

In retrospect, Lee had probably just been trying to go for a rather enthusiastic hug. But Gaara, already on edge and perhaps a bit  _ too _ protective of Sakura, couldn’t stop his sand from doing what it had tried to do back then, and succeeded in doing now. 

And naturally, moving as fast as he was, Lee couldn’t help but run into his shield of sand at full force.

There was a bit of a crunch as body hit wall, and Gaara heard a startled squeak come from Sakura. For a moment, Gaara feared the worst.  _ I hurt him... _ **_again_ ** … 

But the boy popped up, looking not too worse for the wear, only sporting a small bruise where he’d met the wall headfirst. 

“Ah, Gaara, your sand is as tricky as ever!”

“I’m...sorry…”

“It is only a sign that I have been too lax in my training! Since I was not quick enough to surpass your sand this time, I will have to run another hundred laps!”

“Um, how about...later?” Sakura suggested, offering a hand to help Lee stand. “Besides, Lee, didn’t you make me promise we’d do something when I finally got back to Konoha?”

Lee grinned. “Yes, that is right! A race in order to determine who has been training the hardest!”

It didn’t take too many words to convince the others to take a break, and the team leader (Gai, was that the name?) was more than happy to referee. The other two teammates came and sat down on the grass next to Gaara to take a breather. Gaara remembered them both vaguely. The girl, Tenten, had faced off with his sister in the last exams. The boy, Neji, had faced Naruto. A year had done much for them; both were taller now, and the training they were enduring had started to put them into far better shape than most shinobi Gaara had seen. They’d be formidable foes to anyone at this point, even still as genin.

“I didn’t realize that Sakura had enough energy to keep up with Lee.” Tenten commented as she watched the race begin. “Has she really been training like he does?”

“Less lately.” Gaara admitted. “With travel, she can’t run laps. But in Iwa, yes.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have to face her in the exams, then. I worry enough about having to go up against Lee or Neji.” Tenten groaned. “Or...well, someone like you.”

“That brings up an interesting point.” Sai commented. He’d already pulled out his notebook and had begun to sketch. “Assuming we don’t fail horribly in our attempts to ‘unite the shinobi countries’, we are going to need ways to determine rank amongst our number. Right now with the three of us, things are easy. If our numbers grow, it won’t be.”

“...are you saying you think we should have exams?”

“Maybe.” Sai answered with a small shrug. “Beyond that, the villages will want to have a way to determine the strength of our shinobi, otherwise they might question our ability to maintain peace. I wouldn’t be surprised if…”

And then Sai paused, his pencil hesitating on the page. “Oh.” He said simply. “I see.”

“You see?”

“What Shikamaru meant.”

Gaara wasn’t sure at  _ all _ what Sai was talking about, but they couldn’t discuss it here in front of near strangers. Though Gaara had to wonder why Sakura hadn’t asked to include Lee and his team in the plotting against Root. Were they untrustworthy? No…not to Sakura anyway. Perhaps there was another reason he hadn’t yet considered. 

It was about ten more minutes before the silhouettes of Lee and Sakura became visible in the distance. If Gaara had heard correctly, they’d raced around the perimeter of the village. Now they were neck and neck, running at top speed towards where Gai was waiting for them in the middle of the field. It wasn’t Lee’s full speed, Gaara knew that much. The boy still had his weights on, and perhaps that was how he managed to make it fair for Sakura, who had gotten faster, but nothing like Lee. Still, that didn’t seem to stop Lee from putting in maximum effort, and Gaara could tell that Sakura was struggling to keep speed.

Still, he couldn’t help but be a little bit proud when the race was too close for even Gai to call.

“Just what I expected of my eternal rival!” Lee proclaimed, wheezing from the effort. “I have not had such a good run in several months, Sakura!”

“Wait...eternal rival?” Sakura questioned. “I thought that...isn’t Neji?”

“Neji is my rival too, yes, but only you have succeeded in pushing me beyond my limits! Because of you, Sakura, I am encouraged to be even greater than before!” 

Sakura was quiet for a moment, and Gaara could see a flurry of emotions pass through her before she landed on somewhere between surprise and happiness. Gaara might have even sworn he saw happy tears in her eyes, though it might have just been a trick of the light. She held out her fist towards Lee for a fist bump.

“Alright then...eternal rival!”

The two laughed, laying down on the grass to catch their breath. Gaara saw Sai sketching out of the corner of his eyes, now with the exhausted racers as his subjects.

“They really are strange.” Sai commented. But he said it with such an inflection that Gaara couldn’t help but wonder if he had started to enjoy the strangeness that Sakura attracted around her. 

Either way, it was enough for him just to see her happy.

 

-

 

Sai had grown up in Konoha, watched its borders for as long as he could remember, and yet he hadn’t known its inhabitants were so  _ curious _ .

Ino and Sakura seemed like they were speaking a language all their own as they talked. There were recognizable words, sure, but they spoke so fast, sometimes answering incomplete sentences, and Sai found himself struggling to keep track of all of the information being discussed. Training, people, the neutrality project, what other countries looked like, and then, what Ino thought was apparently the  _ most _ important subject…

“So are there any cute boys in Iwa? Or in Taki?” Ino got a look on her face that Sai recognized as slyness, and Sakura turned as red as a cherry with the question.

“I-I haven’t exactly been thinking about that, thank you very much! There’s been other things on my mind!”

Sai noticed, and it happened so quickly that Ino and Sakura didn’t notice it at all, that Gaara fidgeted a small bit upon the mention of ‘cute boys’. Was it possible he had seen a cute boy in Iwa? No, he didn’t remember Gaara fixating on anyone other than Sakura...ah, perhaps this was the emotion called jealousy? Maybe Gaara’s attachment had grown beyond that of friendship…

“Oh, I see what’s going on.” Ino continued to pry, still just as sly as before. “After all, you’ve got a cutie right here, so who needs anyone else?”

It took Sai a moment to register that Ino was looking at  _ him _ now. Oh...it was  _ him _ that she was calling cute. That was strange. Was she making fun of him? No...the girl appeared serious.

Sakura had warned Sai not to do anything to ‘piss Ino off’. Ino was a dear friend. If Sai upset her, Sakura would take it out on him. So...he had to be careful with his response. He had to say the opposite of how he felt, that was what he had begun to figure out. Whatever his first thought was,  _ don’t _ say that. So…

“Ah. You’re...cute as well.”

“ _ WHAT?”  _

Ino had turned red at the compliment, and Sakura had yelled out in protest, looking  _ very _ upset. 

“You call me fucking  _ ugly _ and Ino-Pig gets ‘cute’? What the actual hell, Sai?”

“Oh, come on, Billboard Brow, don’t be upset because Sai knows true beauty when he sees it.” Ino recovered quickly, blowing Sai a kiss as she talked. “He’s clearly got good eyes on him. It’s nice to have a boy recognize my beauty for once!”

Sakura fumed in her corner of the table, and Sai realized he might have blundered again. He’d have to confess to Sakura later...as far as he was concerned, Ino was rather plain. 

They had met at this particular restaurant in the early evening. Sakura and Ino actually  _ had _ wanted to catch up, beyond the plan Shikamaru had for them. Once the sun started to set, the ‘four’ of them would retreat to Ino’s home to catch up further. In actuality, Sakura would be left behind here under a henge disguise, while Gaara used a clone to pretend Sakura was with them. That meant, for a few hours at least, Sai and Gaara would need to keep Ino entertained. Perhaps for now it was better that he’d gotten on Ino’s good side. 

“Alright, then, what about  _ you _ , Ino?” Sakura demanded. “I mean...well…” Her demanding posture deflated with her words, and now Sakura simply looked nervous. “I mean, look,  _ Sasuke _ isn’t around anymore, so it’s...probably time to move on, right?”

“...yeah, maybe so.” Ino agreed, just as morose at the mention of the Uchiha traitor. Sakura, Sai had learned early on, had been very attached to Sasuke. Ino too seemed to have this attachment. What was it about the Uchiha, Sai wondered, that so many were eager to come to his defense? Sai found himself strangely desiring to meet the boy.

“Well, okay...I’ll tell you if you guys promise to keep it a secret.”

The moroseness left the table, and Sakura was suddenly all in once again, leaning against the table as she looked to Ino eagerly. “Oh Ino, you  _ know _ I can keep a secret. And now you  _ gotta _ tell me.”

“I don’t know...you’re going to laugh.”

“I won’t laugh, Ino, promise.”

“Pinkie promise?”

“Pinkie promise.” Sakura held out her pinkie finger, and Ino did similar. They shook, and Sai wondered what sort of symbolism the pinkie had behind it. He’d heard of bandit lords cutting off the pinkies of disobedient subordinates...maybe it was related? He took more notes in his book, making his own promise to research such gestures later.

“...alright, so, you know how...you know how Naruto’s been on our team recently?”

Sakura’s eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth. “No  _ way _ , you’re saying-”

“I-it’s not, it’s not like...I mean, I don’t  _ know _ !” Ino replied, turning red once again as she buried her face in her hands. “Listen, he was kind of annoying at first, and I didn’t really like having him on the team then. He’s loud and he just kind of runs into things without thinking and...well, but then he started listening to Shika and I more, and he started kind of helping out more than he used to, and suddenly I realize that if he wasn’t around we wouldn’t be doing missions  _ nearly _ as well. And he...he’s like a  _ puppy _ , we kept inviting him out to eat with the team and he was always just so happy to spend time with us, and even on missions he just looked so eager to help and be part of the team and...and I think sometimes, even if I think a mission is going to go bad...I think sometimes he smiles and I know everything’s going to be okay, you know?”

“Yeah.” Sakura’s smile had turned fond as she listened. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“So...maybe he’s a little cooler than I thought, that’s all.” 

“You know, if you told him that, I think you’d make his  _ life _ . All he’s ever wanted is to be accepted by people.”

“Oh my  _ gosh _ , I can’t just say that sort of thing to him!” Ino seemed to turn even redder, and Sai wondered how much blood a human face could handle rushing through it all at once. More than he’d originally thought, it seemed. “I mean...I mean I don’t even know if I  _ could _ …”

“Come on, Ino, you told Sasuke he was awesome all the  _ time _ !”

“Y-yeah, I guess I did.” Ino let out a deep breath, folding herself over the table. “Maybe...maybe if the time is right.”

Sai had heard that romantic feelings were particularly difficult to manage. In Root, they were encouraged not to have them, even more so than the other feelings that were discouraged. Romantic attachment led to a conflict of interests. How could one dedicate themself to the village if they had someone else they were more attached to than the other villagers?

But for Ino and Sakura, discussing romantic attachment seemed as easy as breathing, like they’d been doing it all their lives. And Sakura, despite her attachment to Sasuke Uchiha, had not been hindered by her emotions. Gaara, despite his attachment to Sakura, had not gotten weak. In fact, Gaara in particular seemed almost stronger for it, more capable of protecting her than someone who was more neutral. 

Maybe...there was more to these emotions than even Danzo had realized.

 

-

 

As the sun began to set, Sakura excused herself to the restroom. She didn’t really need to go; it was simply a way to get into a room where she wouldn’t be watched. 

Sakura Haruno went into the ladies’ room. A perfectly disguised sand clone of Sakura Haruno walked out.

Sakura waited, knowing that the clone would be leaving with Ino and the boys soon. Shikamaru would be waiting for her outside once the coast was clear. She gave herself ten minutes before executing a henge technique. She didn’t need to look fancy. Just different. Glasses, dark hair, and different colors for her outfit. The woman who walked out of the restaurant looked nothing like Sakura Haruno, and the only reason that Shikamaru knew it was her was because of a passphrase determined the night before.

“You’re the man to ask about ground antler powder?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s me.” Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. “Pretty good look you’ve got there. Do you think there’s anyone nearby to worry about?”

Sakura let out a quick sensing pulse. There were shinobi around, of course, but none close enough to be watching her, nothing like how the Anbu had been trailing her before. “We’re clear.” She said with a smile. “Worked like a charm.”

“Don’t say that until we’re back home and not in a jail cell.” Shikamaru countered. “We still have a lot to do tonight.”

The Uchiha clan compound was fairly open, and Shikamaru had feared if they had tried to infiltrate in the daytime that someone might catch sight of them from outside the compound borders. At night, it was easier to move about unseen, and a Nara at night was even more at ease than most other shinobi were. Shadows were Shikamaru’s domain. Sakura just had to follow his lead.

As they approached the compound, Shikamaru led them to a thickly wooded area just outside the border. There was no way they could get past the Uchiha seals, Shikamaru had determined, but the seal’s border was a simple dome over the complex. It didn’t go  _ beneath _ the ground...because the Uchiha hadn’t thought anyone would be stupid enough to try and burrow in, especially when the clan had still been alive.

A tunneling jutsu, especially like the one Sakura had become especially proficient in, was the perfect way to enter the compound without triggering its defenses. It was so  _ simple _ that Sakura hadn’t thought it would work. But one hand sign and a quick bit of tunneling later, she and Shikamaru popped up inside the compound.

It was silent there, as silent as a graveyard, which was...fitting.

There was a hollowness there that put Sakura in a state of unease. Had Sasuke really lived here all these years alone? It was no wonder he was so haunted by his past, so driven by vengeance, having had to  _ live _ here with the very blatant reminder of the clan’s absence. The buildings were perfectly preserved, enough so that Sakura found herself expecting people to suddenly walk in and out of them, as though they’d been here the whole time. 

“We need to find where Sasuke lived.” Shikamaru told her, keeping ducked behind building walls as he moved deeper into the compound. “His father was the clan head, and Itachi would have lived there as well.”

“What exactly are you trying to find out here?”

“Proof of conspiracy.”

“You really think you’ll find that here?”

“Not in Sasuke’s house, not really, but I’d like to try searching there first before I resort to doing something  _ really _ awful.”

“Shikamaru what the  _ heck  _ are you planning?”

“Just hope we find something in the house, then I won’t have to tell you.”

Sakura bit her lip, nervous. She trusted Shikamaru, right? The answers would come with time.

It was easy enough to find the building Shikamaru was looking for. It was easily the biggest one in the compound, and the one that was the most maintained out of all of them. While the other buildings were covered in dust and leaves and the various wears of time, this building was relatively clean. Sasuke had lived here up until a year ago, so of course he would have maintained it.

Sakura hoped she’d feel a bit safer inside the building, knowing that they were unlikely to be spotted once inside, but knowing she was walking around Sasuke’s home was enough to make her stomach sink. There was a kitchen, and she caught a brief whiff of decayed food, left behind. There were pictures on the wall of Sasuke’s family, and she saw him as she remembered him as a young boy, along with what was clearly Itachi and his parents. With every creak of the floorboards, Sakura felt that an Uchiha ghost might come for them any minute.

They weaved in and out of rooms, Sakura following Shikamaru closely as he looked for...whatever it was he was looking for. Eventually, they made their way outside again to the space behind the building, and it was there Sakura saw the massive shrine.

“Ah. That’s probably it.”

Shikamaru headed towards it without delay. Once they were inside the shrine, he began to speak again.

“I remember hearing my dad talk a lot about the Uchiha clan. After the Kyuubi attack, there were a lot of people who believed that an Uchiha was involved in making it go on a rampage. After all, the last time it rampaged, it was being controlled by Madara Uchiha.”

“Right…” Sakura thought back to her conversations with Kakashi and Onoki. Their theories, her own theories...theories she’d had yet to explore further. “So why are we here in this shrine?”

“My dad notices a lot of things, you know. He’s a pretty smart guy. He always talked about how the Uchiha looked more and more anxious in the year before the massacre, like they knew something was going to happen. And at that time, people were treating them worse and worse, like pariahs. That sort of thing happening to such a strong clan...makes you wonder how the clan took it.”

“How the clan took it...you don’t think…” It clicked for Sakura all at once. “You don’t think they were planning on splitting from Konoha, do you?”

“I can only theorize without proof. I think they were planning on either leaving or rebelling. And why wouldn’t they? The village hated them, so why would they stay aligned with people who didn’t appreciate what they did for the village?”

Shikamaru began to tap at the walls of the shrine, looking around and listening as he explored the small room. “Naturally, they would have had to plan things in secret. The compound is protected but you and I just proved it’s easy enough to break in. They needed somewhere nobody else knew about to meet. Maybe even somewhere that other clan members didn’t know about. Only the ones they thought were strong and loyal enough to the clan.”

“So you’re just looking for signs of a meeting place? Even if we find one, that’s not going to be enough to prove anything.”

“Well, that’s technically not all I’m looking for.” Shikamaru admitted. “I guess since you aren’t a clan kid you wouldn’t know, but I figure most clans operate kind of the same. I obviously won’t tell you where, but the Nara’s have their own secret meeting room to discuss clan business. It’s also where all of our clan scrolls and records of our jutsu are kept.”

“Oh!” Sakura realized. “You’re not looking for the meeting place, you’re looking for the  _ clan _ secrets!”

“Bingo. Plus, if they were planning a coup, they might have left behind notes.”

“And...if we find proof they were planning a coup?”

“Then that proves a theory of mine correct.”

“Which is…?”

“That Itachi wasn’t completely a crazy bastard and Danzo might have orchestrated something  _ really _ nasty.”

“...oh  _ fuck _ .”

From what she knew of Danzo and Root, they worked for the protection of the village. Whatever it took to keep it safe.

The Uchiha planned a coup. The safety of the village was threatened. Itachi, who clearly had history with Danzo, was convinced…

Convinced that it would be better if the Uchiha clan died before threatening the village. 

“Fuck fuck  _ fuck _ , are you  _ serious _ , Shikamaru?” Sakura let herself curse aloud, not particularly caring how loud she got. “You think  _ Danzo _ orchestrated the massacre? And...fuck, and Itachi agreed…”

“On the condition that little baby brother gets spared and protected.”

“That is so  _ fucked up _ .”

“We don’t have any proof yet. And even if we find plans, that’s still not enough proof. But it’ll be a start. And...bingo.” Shikamaru knelt, pulling aside a tatami mat and revealing a wooden door in the floor beneath. “Hidden meeting place is found.”

“How clever of you. Now, I will need you to step away from the mat.”

Sakura froze as a voice sounded from behind them. That voice…

That  _ voice _ …

She turned, her kunai already drawn as she faced the speaker. She hadn’t even  _ felt _ them approach, hadn’t even  _ heard _ them. But now, squinting through the darkness, Sakura realized  _ exactly _ where she’d heard that voice before.

She’d  _ dreamed _ it.

She’d seen that mask in the window’s reflection in her dream, a swirl of black and orange that centered on a single hole around their right eye.

Sakura felt  _ fear _ .

“You.” She said simply.

“We have much to discuss, don’t we, Sakura Haruno?” The person spoke, and Sakura could almost  _ feel _ the power this man wielded from his words alone. She couldn’t stop herself from trembling, couldn’t stop herself from wanting to drop this stupid quest and just  _ run _ . 

But running was the one thing she couldn’t do now.

This person wanted to  _ talk _ .

“Alright.” Sakura agreed. “Then start talking.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This was an extremely experimental chapter which is partially why it took so long to write, and also about double my usual length, so I hope it will be worth the delay. I believe it was Foxtron who had the request, way back when I asked for them, for Lee to declare Sakura as his eternal rival. This idea will absolutely be explored even more in coming chapters because I love the idea quite a bit. As far as other reader requests, I still have a list of things that will be integrated into the story as time goes, and a few of them will be making their way into act two, so look forward to those!
> 
> I meant for this chapter to be (admittedly self indulgent) fluff before we get into what might be a loooong bit of really serious Happenings, but if you guys like the fluff I could be tempted to try and pepper more in. For now, though...things have gotten quite serious.))


	47. Chapter 47

It had started to rain.

Gaara had sat in on enough of Sakura’s lessons with Onoki to know that rainwater heavily altered the earth it landed on, and if one had not trained in the manipulation of water chakra, moving earth in the rain was exponentially more difficult. As a desert child, he’d never needed to worry about that with his sand, but as he spent more time in damper terrain, he realized the truth of Onoki’s words. He had learned early on that earth chakra had advantage over water chakra, but the precise details of this advantage hadn’t ever been told to him. Earth didn’t  _ eliminate _ water, it  _ absorbed _ it. A water jutsu would never be able to break a solid wall of earth, because the earth chakra would envelop the water chakra and create harmless mud. Each type of chakra had advantages, but those advantages could become disadvantages if one did not understand precisely how the advantages worked.

Sakura was quite skilled at manipulating earth. She was not yet skilled at manipulating water. If the rain became too heavy, it might be difficult for her to tunnel out of the Uchiha compound, which in turn would risk her life.

Gaara was a worrywort, this much he’d been told time and time again. But as the storm clouds gathered above the Yamanaka home, he couldn’t help but feel like it was some kind of omen.

**Why do you think I never left the desert, kid?**

Gaara smiled at Shukaku’s comment. True enough, Shukaku’s raw earth power would be quite unhindered in a desert. Without the lightning and rain of storms, all that mattered was the quality of the earth and how well one could wield it. 

He was brought out of his thoughts by the soft clink of a teacup being sat down in front of him. The Yamanaka grew their own tea leaves, among the other countless herbs and flowers that helped make poultices and poisons for the Konoha shinobi. He would give credit where it was due: he didn’t know a soul that made tea better than Ino. Gaara gratefully took a sip, and whatever Ino had brewed within caused a small flare within his chakra, which was appreciated. Maintaining transformed clones for long periods of time was exhausting, even for a Jinchuuriki. Thankfully, inside the house, he no longer had to  _ speak _ as Sakura, merely maintain her presence. The Anbu watching them couldn’t hear through the walls, nor were they allowed to. Though smaller than the Nara complex, the Yamanakas were still a major Konoha clan, and listening in on anything within the walls was forbidden without clan permission.

“I heard that the shinobi from Amegakure arrived today.” Ino announced as she sat down. “The Amekage is a woman, apparently. Hinata said she was very pretty.”

“Does it matter how pretty a Kage is?” Sai asked. “Beauty does not affect one’s strength.”

“Wrong.” Ino shook her head. “Do you know how many men have hesitated to hit me just because I’m a pretty girl? I’ve been on missions where I haven’t gotten scratched once because men couldn’t bear to harm my beautiful face.”

“That’s silly.” Sai replied, turning back to his tea. “If you were an enemy, I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Ino only smirked at that. “You say that now, but just wait until you see a pretty face on the battlefield. If you faced me down, I bet I could make you freeze with a single glance.”

Gaara decided not to mention that Sai was not most shinobi; he doubted Root would have allowed their soldiers to be influenced by something such as physical appearance. But as much as the conversation seemed like an argument, Sai and Ino had developed a strange sort of relationship where neither of them seemed phased by the other’s blunt commentary. It was probably good for Sai to have someone else he could be himself around. Even now, watching the two bicker, Gaara saw the beginnings of a smile on the boy’s face. 

Which, of course, just made him wish that Sakura was here to see it, and as he thought of Sakura again all the worries came flooding back.

“Bathroom.” He said simply, standing up and heading towards where he’d seen one passing by earlier. Not that he really needed to go, but he’d thought of something just now. Something that  _ could _ help ease his worries.

Maybe he couldn’t go keep an eye on Sakura. But someone else could.

He heard the patter of little footsteps following behind him. Emi was a smart tanuki, and as they reached the bathroom, Gaara gently shut the door behind them, then knelt down to talk to the tanuki directly.

“Emi. I need you to do something for me.”

The tanuki looked back at him, bright eyed and paying attention. Good. Gaara dug into one of his pouches, pulling out a small scroll. Inside, Sai had sealed a couple of soldier pills, given to them courtesy of the Taki healers. They had been meant as supplements for Sakura as she’d recovered from chakra exhaustion, but since she’d hadn’t needed them, he’d kept the scroll around just in case. He took out some thread and tied it around the scroll, then around Emi’s neck until it was snug.

“Find Sakura. Don’t be seen.”

He opened the bathroom door just enough so that the tanuki could slip through. He listened as the sound of scampering paws slowly receded into the distance. 

Maybe it was worrying too much. Maybe it was unnecessary. But Gaara was Sakura’s protector, and that _ meant _ overthinking things, making sure that no possible threat could harm his friend.

The rain fell harder, and Gaara thought briefly of praying to that strange god that Sakura always whispered to at night. 

_ Keep them safe. _

 

-

 

“Tell us who you are.”

Shikamaru had also drawn a kunai, and the shinobi didn’t show even an ounce of fear as he faced down the intruder in front of them. A trait Sakura needed to learn. 

The newcomer barely even turned to acknowledge Shikamaru, and it was so brief that Sakura almost missed it. Once the glance was done, the man kept his eye on Sakura and did not waver. “I am a ghost.” He answered simply. “A ghost of the Uchiha clan, here to haunt these tragic grounds. I’d heard a very unusual tale from one Itachi Uchiha, about a girl who had been able to break the power of his Tsukuyomi. I simply wanted to see for myself if that was true. Itachi can be...dramatic.”

Sakura wasn’t sure how to answer  _ that _ . If she admitted the truth, this man might want to see the claim tested. There were supposedly only two Uchiha left in the world, but Sakura had been doubting that claim for a while, and if this man was anything like she feared...he’d be just as capable as Itachi. On the other hand, if she claimed that she couldn’t break the Tsukuyomi, the man might just try to test them anyway, to prevent them from finding whatever secrets lay here. 

She was stuck. So she might as well  _ try _ to seem strong.

“You heard correctly. Itachi underestimated me.”

“Itachi is used to being the strongest man in the room. Not even Orochimaru could see through his genjutsu. It is rare that he underestimates  _ at all _ .” 

The man leaned against the wall of the shrine. His casualness was perhaps even more unnerving than the fact that he was clearly a surviving Uchiha, or at least someone who possessed a Sharingan. Sakura’s grip tightened on her blade. 

“So.” The man continued. “You are claiming to be stronger than a member of the Sannin. I suppose you would have to be, to try and unite the world in such a way. There are already shinobi scheming against you. There will be no shortage of dissent.”

“I’m already aware.” Sakura countered. “I’m not a fool. If you’ve just come here to give a lecture-”

“I came to give an offer.”

The man stood forward, holding out a hand. “My organization is short a member with Orochimaru’s absence. And our goals are not so different, yours and mine. We both seek a world of peace. Your attempt at diplomacy will fail, as all attempts have failed time and time again. There will always be those whose selfishness outweighs their desire to cooperate. I, however, have a plan that is guaranteed success. I have a plan to end all wars and squabbles, all petty disagreements and bad blood. You can be a part of that plan. All it takes is a willingness to give up nine insignificant lives for the preservation of thousands. Join with Akatsuki, Sakura Haruno, and you shall be a  _ true _ bringer of peace.”

There wasn’t even a doubt in her mind or any hesitation. Sakura wasn’t sure what delusion the man had convinced himself of, that the power of the Bijuu could so easily bring peace, but...those lives were not insignificant to her. And Akatsuki was not and was  _ never _ an option.

“You don’t know a thing about me, do you?” Sakura answered. “I won’t spill innocent blood for peace, especially not the blood of those I consider my dearest friends. If you’re Akatsuki, then we are enemies.”

“I see. It was...worth an attempt. Now I shall have no grievances towards ending your life.”

In the blink of an eye, then man vanished.

It was only a prickling sensation on the back of her neck that caused Sakura to turn, a primal instinct that forced her to raise her kunai in self defense. As she turned, she saw the man appear again, and their kunai clashed together in a clang that echoed within the shrine.

Sakura forced herself not to look the man in the eyes. She hadn’t seen them clearly enough to  _ know _ if he had a Sharingan, but it was not a risk she was willing to take. Instead, she focused downwards, confirming her visual before lifting her knee in an attempt to hit the man directly in the groin.

The man simply vanished again, and this time she was slightly too slow to react. Shikamaru, however, was not. She heard a second clash of steel as Shikamaru moved to cover her back. Smart. If they covered each other, whatever strange teleportation the man was using couldn’t catch them off guard. Two people meant no blind spots.

What followed next was something akin to a dance.

The man appeared and reappeared around them, lashing out with a kunai whenever he was close enough. Sometimes it was teleportation, but other times Sakura was convinced it was sheer  _ speed _ . After a while, she was able to confirm it. There was a pattern to the attack .The teleportation took a set amount of time, about three seconds. If the man used the teleportation again directly after, there was a five second delay. If the man simply moved, there was no delay, and he arrived at his next point of attack within a second. Sakura was certain Shikamaru was seeing it too; with time, both of their movements became less desperate and more definitive. Sakura was no longer worried for her life, but instead trying to look for an opening. And just as she was certain she’d found one, just when she was ready to strike…

The man stopped.

He reappeared at the door again, looking just as nonchalant as before. “As expected from a student of the Copy Ninja. As expected too from a child of the Nara. Your reflexes are quite keen. But I am not your only opponent tonight. If the Konoha patrols saw a battle happening on the sealed Uchiha grounds, I wonder what that would mean for the both of you?”

The man’s hands began to move, and Sakura remembered all at once the second thing the Uchiha clan were known for, besides the infamous Sharingan. Fire-style jutsu.

_ He was going to set the shrine on fire _ .

And that would draw every shinobi in the village to investigate. She and Shikamaru would be  _ caught _ , and everything she had worked for would be ruined, and this little  _ shit _ could just teleport away and not have to face a single consequence. Sakura saw Shikamaru stretching his shadow towards the man but it just wouldn’t be  _ quick enough _ .

She had only one option, and that was to use a jutsu that she hadn’t even remotely come  _ close _ to mastering. One that Kakashi had sworn she could learn with time and patience, but right now she couldn’t afford either of those things. She would have to master this technique  _ now _ or else everything was over.

Shukaku had once told her the secret to earth techniques was understanding the relationship between the natural earth energy around her and her own chakra. So too, Sakura deduced, would she have to understand water. There was no source of water nearby, but there was moisture in the  _ air _ . She would have to inhale, merging the moisture with her own chakra, and expel it with enough force to counter whatever her enemy had planned.

Most importantly, it required  _ control _ .

And that... _ that _ Sakura had.

Her hands flew through the signs and she took a deep breath. She could feel her chakra writhing with the effort, clashing against the energy that it was not naturally drawn to form. She was  _ earth _ , but now she had to be  _ water _ , flowing and dancing and gushing forth against her opponent. Sakura felt a pressure build in her chest and mouth, and as soon as she saw the spark of fire in front of her, she let it spill forth. 

It was a pitifully small attempt. Her water bullet couldn’t have been bigger than her fist. But Sakura had done one thing right, and that was  _ aim _ . Her bullet flew through the air and slammed against man’s mask, which was just enough distraction to stop him from expending more chakra and gave Shikamaru just enough time to connect his shadow with the man’s own. 

Everyone froze, and for a moment that was all too brief, Sakura could breathe. 

“Ah.” The man commented. “How annoying.”

And then Sakura saw the air begin to shimmer around the man, originally from a spot near the eyehole in his mask, and in the blink of an eye the man had vanished yet again.

“...shit.”

“Shikamaru, how did he-”

The man reappeared, this time directly behind Shikamaru. He quickly placed a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder, and before he could pull away, before Sakura could interfere,  _ both _ of them vanished.

When the man reappeared, alone, he made a gesture of wiping his hands together. “I forgot how troublesome the Nara shadow jutsu can be. He won’t interfere with our playtime anymore.”

“Where did you take him?” Sakura demanded. 

“Another place. A place only I can reach.” The man replied. “He will likely die there of dehydration within the next day or two. That is the price one pays for moving against me.”

“Then why not me too? Why not just leave there to die? Then there’s no risk of my interference.”

The man hesitated, but by then Sakura had already managed to deduce the answer.

“...you’re afraid it won’t work on me. You’re afraid it won’t work because it’s a  _ Sharingan _ technique, and if I can break out of Itachi’s technique, you think I can break out of  _ yours _ too.” 

The man threw his hands together, once again going through the hand signs for a fire technique. Sakura matched it, and water clashed against the sparks of flame once, twice, a third time…

But the man hadn’t tried to use that technique on her, which meant she was  _ right _ . What was assuredly an accidental fluke during her face-off with Itachi had now turned into her  _ advantage _ . So long as he thought her capable of breaking Sharingan technique, he wasn’t going to waste chakra  _ trying _ . 

Which was all well and good, but that didn’t solve the problem of the missing Shikamaru, and that didn’t solve the problem of Sakura very clearly being  _ outclassed _ .

Even keeping up her own small water bullets was quickly draining her chakra, and every now and then the man would switch it up and once again go back to teleporting around the shrine, attempting to get in a stab with a sharpened kunai. Only this time, Sakura didn’t have Shikamaru watching her back. It didn’t take long before the man got lucky, and Sakura found her shoulder on the receiving end of a kunai. The pain was a distraction, and it meant her arm couldn’t move as quickly as before. If this was to be an endurance fight, Sakura was going to  _ lose _ . 

She needed Gaara and Sai, she needed Shikamaru, she needed someone,  _ anyone _ …

The man appeared in front of her, too quickly to react. He was aiming for the deathblow, and Sakura couldn’t move fast enough to keep him from putting a blade straight into her heart…

A flash of brown fur moved into her line of sight, and suddenly Emi had slammed herself into the man’s head, and they both went tumbling to the shrine floor. Sakura heard the man cry out as the tanuki sunk her teeth and claws into whatever she could get a grip on. The man vanished, but this only served to take Emi with wherever he’d gone to. 

There was a pause, and Sakura looked around wildly, putting her back against a wall while she tried to predict-

In a flurry of movement, the man reappeared,  _ this _ time with both Emi  _ and _ Shikamaru in tow. Shikamaru had grabbed onto the man’s arm, which had been just enough to be taken back with him when the man had returned. By the look of things, he’d managed to even stab a kunai into the man’s arm to make sure, which meant the tides were  _ changing _ . The man could be injured, and if people were taken to the man’s ‘other place’, they could be retrieved.

Of course, if they didn’t move quickly, the man would just take them back again. Sakura couldn’t let that happen. She reached for another kunai, this time pulling out the strange, three-pronged one that Kakashi had given her for her birthday. She wasn’t as good at throwing it yet, but it was the only one she had left, and it wasn’t about hitting him now, it was about keeping her friends  _ safe _ .

“Emi, Shikamaru,  _ MOVE _ !” 

Sakura let herself pour chakra into her arm and threw the kunai with everything she could muster. She saw Emi drop off and Shikamaru push himself away, and she half expected the man to simply teleport out of the way again, but then…

The kunai passed through the man, and the man suddenly turned around to face it, raising his hands up against what looked to Sakura to be an imaginary foe. 

_...he used these kunai for his Flying Thunder God technique… _

Kakashi’s words rang in her head, and Sakura realized that the man not only recognized the kunai, but was  _ distracted _ by it.

She only had one chance, and  _ this was it _ .

She didn’t have much, but Sakura pushed what little chakra she did have into her legs and let herself fly towards the man, fist at the ready. When the man turned around to face her once again, this time  _ he _ wasn’t quick enough to dodge her blow. Her fist connected with his mask, and she felt a satisfying crack as the mask shattered under her blow.

The man skidded back, reaching up to clutch at his face as his protection crumbled away. Sakura caught a glimpse of the red of a Sharingan eye, but only the one...the other eye looked forcibly shut. And the man’s skin...Sakura had never seen skin look so unnaturally two-toned, a mix of typical flesh and a strange, white color that seemed to remind Sakura of a corpse rather than something alive. 

Her eyes met his, and Sakura regretted it instantly but she couldn’t bring herself to look away. There was something about the way the man looked at her, something about how he  _ looked _ that nagged at her mind and wouldn’t let go.

“Very well done.” The man finally spoke. “Perhaps...there will be use to keeping you alive after all.” 

The man vanished, and this time he did not return.

 

-

 

Sakura hadn’t known that Shikamaru was capable as cursing as much as he was currently doing.

They’d made their way beneath the Uchiha shrine, but even as they’d searched through nearly dozen shelves of scrolls, Shikamaru continued to curse without hardly taking a breath between them.

“I cannot  _ believe _ I let you drag me into something so  _ fucking _ out of our league, this is such a  _ fucking _ drag, he dragged me to another  _ fucking _ dimension, Sakura!”

Sakura was only half paying attention to the rant. In one hand, she was scanning scrolls, trying not to let herself linger too long on clan secrets that she had no right to. Her other hand was carefully scratching Emi’s back. No doubt Gaara had sent her as back up, and she was going to give that boy the  _ biggest _ hug when she got back to Ino’s. As for Emi, Sakura would be giving her as many treats as the tanuki wanted for the next  _ month _ .

“All I ever wanted to do was be an average _ fucking _ shinobi with an average  _ fucking _ life. Retire early, start a family, never have to worry about anything this  _ fucking _ insane…”

Sakura wondered, briefly, if Shikamaru’s time with Ino was beginning to rub off on him. Or even Naruto, though Sakura had never heard  _ him _ curse, but Naruto was capable of talking for hours if allowed, maybe he’d also started rubbing off on the Nara.

“We are going to fucking  _ die _ doing this, Sakura. If Danzo doesn’t kill us, then whoever the fuck  _ that _ is certainly will, once he’s gotten over the shock of you getting a damned  _ lucky _ hit.”

Whoever it was…

Sakura knew. Sakura couldn’t deny it. Either that, or it was going to be a hell of a coincidence.

One Sharingan eye. Similar age to Kakashi. A warped body. 

Sakura couldn’t deny that there was a high possibility that this man was Kakashi’s lost teammate. Obito Uchiha.

She wasn’t sure  _ how _ . She wasn’t even sure  _ why _ , though if Obito had gotten wrapped up in the Akatsuki, all that meant at the end of the day was that he was the enemy. A thousand questions were already trying to worm their way through her, but Sakura was much too tired to process any of them. She didn’t want to  _ deal _ with this. In a way, she agreed with Shikamaru. This was way,  _ way _ out of their league.

“Son of a  _ bitch _ , Sakura.”

“Did the cursing help?”

“Yeah...yeah, maybe a little.” 

Shikamaru made his way over to Sakura’s side, bending over to pick Emi up in his arms. He began to stroke her back, and the tanuki made happy little purrs as she settled.

“If you hadn’t shown up, I’d still be stuck in that weird dimension. So tomorrow we’re going to Chouji’s favorite barbecue and you’re getting whatever the hell you want, alright?”

Emi let out a small chirp, and Sakura couldn’t help but smile in relief. They were...they were  _ alright _ somehow. She’d fought another Uchiha and lived.

Maybe...maybe Onoki was right. Maybe the Uchiha weren’t the gods she’d made them in her head, simply just...shinobi with a very powerful tool. A tool that could be learned. A tool that could be fought against. If someone stronger than her had faced this man, they could have easily gotten the upper hand, assuming they figured out the gimmick to the teleportation technique.

Sakura’s hand went to her side, to the three-pronged kunai. The man had known the Fourth Hokage’s signature technique, and not only that, had  _ feared _ it. As if he’d faced it before…

“Shikamaru?”

“Yeah?”

“You can’t tell anyone about him.”

“Wait, why? Don’t you think it’s important to at least tell the other rookies?”

“Yes, but...not yet. Not until I know more. If the wrong information gets out, it might cause problems.”

“...which means you have theories about who that guy is. Theories that involve people we know.”

Sakura nodded, absentmindedly reaching for another scroll. “For now, our enemy is Danzo. Once Danzo is finished, then I can let myself think about Akatsuki. Then I can let myself think about  _ him _ .”

“He might show up again.”

“Not if we never come back here, he won’t. Not in the village proper. He doesn’t want to be seen. That’s why he left once the mask was broken. He didn’t want to risk me putting things together.”

“Too bad for him, it seems like you already have.”

“I think he underestimated what someone was willing to tell me.”

Sakura opened the scroll, and her eyes widened as she took in its contents. This...this was  _ it _ ! She shoved the scroll in Shikamaru’s direction, letting him look it over.

“...battle plans.”

“Revolution plans.” Sakura confirmed. “Meeting notes. There’s several that look like it still here on the shelf. You were right, Shika. The Uchiha were planning an uprising. You were  _ right _ .”

“I’m starting to hate being right all the time.” Shikamaru admitted. “Grab all of those. We should get out of here before it gets too late. You took that soldier pill, right?”

“Right.” Sakura nodded. It had been a lifesaver, another thing she’d have to thank Gaara for. Without it, she might not have had enough chakra to tunnel themselves out again. Gaara was getting good at looking ahead, seeing the worst and preparing for it…

Sakura wished she could talk with Gaara about Obito. But for now, it was a secret she’d have to keep until she knew how to address.

If she was right, Obito Uchiha was alive, was currently a part of Akatsuki, and, if her worst fears were true, he had been the orchestrating mind behind the Kyuubi attack at Naruto’s birth.

And somehow, this man believed that it was all for the sake of  _ peace _ . 

Sakura shivered as she pulled scrolls from the shelf. Would she hit a point, soon, where this would become too much? Akatsuki was so much more terrifying than even she’d initially thought. She’d gotten stronger, but it  _ still _ wasn’t enough. She  _ still _ needed a tanuki to come and save her in her most desperate moment, she  _ still _ had to be rescued after all this time. 

_ Never again _ , she’d promised herself. Never again would she be the weak link. 

This wasn’t just about her. This was about the world, and this was about  _ saving _ it. This was about doing what she’d read about in fantastical tales about superhuman shinobi, this was about doing what made up myths and legends. It  _ was _ too much for her, it was too much for  _ anyone _ . But nobody  _ else _ was going to do it. Nobody else was this entrenched, nobody else had taken action. It was her that had spurred Shikamaru to look into Root. It was her that had taken up Onoki’s offer to strive for peace. It was her, all those months ago, that had run from this very village because she couldn’t allow herself to do  _ nothing _ .

Sakura wondered if the heroes of her stories had even been superhuman at all. Maybe a hero was just the kind of person that moved when no one else would. 

“We’re going to do it Shikamaru.” She insisted. “It doesn’t matter that it’s out of our league. We’re going to do it because  _ no one else will _ .” 

Shikamaru just looked at her, half pouting as he pulled Emi close.

“Girls are such a drag, aren’t they, Emi?”

“...you realize Emi is a girl too, right?”

“...oh  _ man _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I blame this week's small delay on the rain. I live in a desert. It just rained for five days straight. I don't know how people live in these conditions. When the sun started shining again it was like my soul returned to my body. I figured Suna people would probably feel the same way about it. When I think about a village like Ame where it's raining constantly, it makes me want to cry a little bit.
> 
> But that would just make things even more wet, I guess.))


	48. Chapter 48

It was still raining when they returned to Ino’s, which worked well enough for them. Sakura disguised herself as a small book, Shikamaru passed her on to Ino under the guise of ‘returning it’, and without much more effort Sakura was back amongst her companions and no longer under threat of discovery. They had taken four scrolls from the Uchiha compound in total, all of which Shikamaru had decided to keep for now. It would be better that way, Sakura had agreed. Shikamaru was the one orchestrating this now, and it was better if he knew all the cards he’d be playing with. 

She did her best to hide her stab wound from the others, as well as the few cuts she’d received. It would probably be impossible to hide it from the boys later, but for now there was no point in making them worry more than they had that night. Sakura could have sworn she even saw relief on Sai’s face when she’d materialized in the room, and if it had been bad enough a scenario to make  _ him _ worry…

Well, it didn’t matter now. She was back, they were safe, and once the three of them had gotten home, Sakura could allow herself some much needed sleep. 

Though, of course, it was hard to sleep when there was  _ so _ much to think about.

The worst part was not being able to voice her thoughts, not yet. The next time she’d be able to would be the next time they met the group at the Nara compound, and Shikamaru hadn’t wanted to draw suspicion with them meeting there too frequently. It would be another week before the group met again, which meant that until then, Sakura was locked in her own thoughts.

Gaara and Sai both picked up on this, and while Sai was used to letting secrets lie, Sakura could tell it was frustrating Gaara to no end. All she could give him for hints was paying Emi some special attention and giving Gaara that promised hug once they’d returned home. It was enough, Sakura figured, to give him a small bit of relief, but she knew questions would be weighing on the boy’s mind until the next week.

The next day was perhaps the most stressful. Sakura was summoned for a meeting with Tsunade in the early morning, and the last thing Sakura wanted was for the renowned medical genius to notice she was holding her arm a bit stiffly and to ask how she’d gotten so prominently injured in the two days she’d been in Konoha. She wrapped her wound as tightly as she could justify, and made a note to herself to just...move her arms as little as possible. Tsunade didn’t know her mannerisms. Tsunade wasn’t  _ looking _ for an injury. She would be okay as long as she kept it together.

As it turned out, Sakura hadn’t needed to worry. There were plenty of  _ other _ distractions to keep the Hokage occupied, first and foremost being the Amekage. 

Sakura recognized her immediately as the woman she’d seen on the rooftops two nights prior, though she had heard from her mother that the Ame group had supposedly only arrived yesterday. Sakura didn’t linger too much on that thought; Ame and Konoha had been at war in the past, and this was perhaps the first time the two villages had interacted on peaceful terms since then. That the Amekage might want to scout out the state of the village before allowing her shinobi to enter was probably just healthy suspicion. 

Seeing her in the light, Sakura had to admit that the woman really was beautiful. She’d never seen such a lovely shade of blue for hair, and the woman had decorated her hair with what looked to be an origami flower, far more intricate than anything Sakura had made in her childhood. Otherwise, the woman dressed simply, wearing a long black overcoat that was likely more for strategy than appearance; she could be hiding any manner of weapon or scroll beneath it, and most would be none the wiser. This was a woman that screamed not only elegance, but competence. 

“Sakura, this is Konan, the current leader of Amegakure.” Tsunade introduced them. “She came to me expressing a desire to speak with you personally.”

“About the treaty, I am assuming?” Sakura gave the woman a polite bow. “I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have, but I had been planning on organizing a meeting with all the Kage prior to the start of the exams, so I wouldn’t have to repeat myself as much.”

“I see.” Konan replied. “I would still wish to speak with you in private, just you and I, if you do not mind. Tsunade assured me she could provide a place where we would not be disturbed.” 

“...of course.” Sakura shot a glance back to Gaara and Sai, knowing Gaara hated her going off on her own again. It seemed such scenarios were becoming inevitable. “Please lead the way.”

There were a plethora of conference rooms in the building, and most were decorated with seals meant to prevent those outside from listening in. Sakura wasn’t sure how well she trusted such seals; if they were Konoha made, than Konoha shinobi could learn how to maneuver around them, Root in particular. Still, it wasn’t as though she was going to be discussing anything  _ that _ sensitive with the Amekage. Sakura was fairly certain that Konan just didn’t want them to be disturbed.

They sat, and for a while both of them were silent. Sakura watched as Konan’s eyes glanced throughout the room, looking towards each wall and the ceiling. Then, Konan lifted her hand. From her sleeve, paper birds fluttered out, causing Sakura to draw a kunai in defense. The birds, however, flew straight past her, flattening into long strips against the various walls. Sakura saw seals written on each of them, and once they had all been positioned, she felt a heavy aura of chakra fill the room. 

“I do not trust Konoha seals.” Konan admitted aloud. “But I do trust my own. Now we may speak freely.” 

Paper, Sakura’s mind noted. This Amekage was good with seals, but her origami creations were a jutsu all their own, something she’d never seen before. Much like Sai’s art came to life, so too did Konan’s. Sakura lamented briefly that Sai wasn’t here to see it for himself. Maybe in the future, maybe if things ever reached peace, the two could learn from each other. 

“Alright. What did you want to speak to me about?”

“Many things. When I first heard of you, I was curious, you see. Your mission, your purpose...it is familiar to me.”

“Familiar?”

“You could say that in the past, you and I would have been very similar.” 

Konan leaned forward in her chair, now looking Sakura dead on. “How much do you know of Ame’s history?” She asked. “I know you are Konoha born, so I have no doubt what you know will be peppered by propaganda…”

“Don’t forget, I’ve also studied under the Tsuchikage.” Sakura countered. “What I know is that in the aftermath of the first Shinobi War, three major countries attempted to expand their territories, and as a result ended up clashing over Ame’s lands. There’s...admittedly disparity on who started the war. Konoha says Iwa and Suna. Iwa says Konoha and Suna. In Ame’s case...I assume it did not matter. There was war over your land, and your people suffered for it.”

“Yes.” Konan agreed. “It was a very...disturbing time. It did not matter to us which shinobi came from where. All outsiders treated us the same. Ame shinobi were not spared. Ame civilians were not spared. It was during this time, when I was but a child, that I was orphaned and left to die.”

Sakura couldn’t help but wince. Stories like those were not uncommon in the shinobi world, but that didn’t make them easier to hear.

“I eventually came into the company of two others like myself, and we learned to protect each other to survive. But it was not enough. We knew it would never be enough. Three orphan children, attempting to survive a shinobi war? We needed to learn jutsu to survive. We needed a teacher. And in time, we found one. Tsunade likely does not remember it, but she was there when we did. She was there, because by chance we happened upon the Konoha Sannin in the aftermath of battle. It was then and there that we convinced the shinobi Jiraiya to be our teacher, and for two years we studied as his pupils.”

Sakura couldn’t help but look shocked. This woman had studied under  _ Jiraiya _ ? Jiraiya was here in the village...had he seen her and known? Perhaps felt pride in his old student for becoming a leader?

“Once our training was complete, my friends and I had a goal. We would stop the war. We would stop  _ all _ wars. We would work for peace, not only for Amegakure, but for  _ all _ shinobi villages. We founded a group, and the three of us grew in strength and numbers until one day we caught the attention of Lord Hanzo, who sent us word that he was interest in cooperating with our mission.” Konan closed her eyes, taking a breath before continuing. “It was a lie, of course. We were ambushed, and all of our group were slaughtered save for myself and one other of my friends. It was then that we learned the truth of this world. There is no desire for peace. The people in it...they are selfish, and desire only their own self preservation. In our wanting of a peaceful world, my friend and I were outcasts. Strangers. And if we did not face the world the way it wanted, if we did not approach violence with strength...we would  _ never _ see peace. So my friend and I raised a rebellion. We took back control of Ame from Hanzo. And in these following years we have trained and grown strong enough to defend our borders from even those countries that are considered the Five Great Countries. And now here I stand, Amekage, looking upon someone that looked as I did all those years ago.”

“...so, you think I’m naive?” Sakura questioned. “For trying to make this treaty work?”

“No.” Konan replied. “I think you are human. To want a peaceful world is a selfish desire, even if such a thing would benefit all. You want a world that is safe for the ones that you love, and you are aiming for it in a way that is logical. There is no need to worry if the countries are put into a position where they never need be at war again. But I have seen the worst that can come from attempting such things. You are Konoha born, and you are hope for your generation. In speaking with you now, I hope to repay my debt to Jiraiya, for giving us strength all those years ago. That is why I must insist that you temporarily put a halt to your goal of uniting the shinobi world.”

“...temporarily?” Sakura frowned at this. “I can’t  _ temporarily _ put a stop to things, I’m already in the thick of it. I came here to Konoha at this time so I could speak with as many Kage as possible. I’d be stupid not to take advantage.”

“There are already forces moving against you, Sakura. The same forces that moved against myself. Hanzo was not alone when he betrayed us. There were others who wanted my organization dead. Others who profited from war, thrived in it. Others who are watching you and I even now, looking for weaknesses and openings to tear you apart. Those others…”

“Wait.” Sakura held up a hand. It couldn’t be. It  _ couldn’t _ be that things were  _ this _ involved, all this time, in so many  _ places _ … “Please, Lady Konan... _ please _ don’t tell me this has to do with Danzo Shimura.” 

This time, it was Konan who looked surprised. Then, suddenly, a small smile grew on her face. “Ah. So...you are already aware.”

“ _ Crap _ …” Sakura let herself moan. “I could write a  _ book _ on the number of conspiracies this man’s been named in. I don’t have  _ room _ for another one. But...wait,  _ wait _ , do you have  _ proof _ ?” 

“Testimonies of dead men.” Konan admitted. “Nothing that would be of use to you. But that you already know of how dangerous that man is gives me a small bit of hope. It is he who persuaded Hanzo to turn against us. He who indirectly led to the death of people that I cherished.”

“Then I think you and I are going to get along just fine.” Sakura replied. “Danzo has many things he needs to answer for.”

“He has already approached me. He, too, does not remember my involvement in Ame’s history, or perhaps did not know who I was at the time. He desired my alliance. He claimed that Konoha had grown weak, and if my people aided him in ‘Konoha’s resurrection’, we could stand to benefit. He offered us land. Offered us trade. I have no doubt he will be extending that offer to every Kage that has not yet signed your treaty.”

That meant Suna, Kusa, Tani...three other villages that had potential to be turned against her treaty. Shikamaru had hinted that Danzo was moving against her, but this wasn’t just about  _ her _ . Danzo was planning a  _ goddamned civil war. _

“You...haven’t accepted his offer.”

“I will not work with that man.”

“But that doesn’t imply that you are willing to work with me, either.”

“No, it does not.” Konan stood up. “But if I am here for anything, Sakura, I am here to see what it is you offer this world. You can consider it your one and only chance to catch my attention.”

Konan made her way to the wall, reaching out for her paper seals. Sakura spoke up before she could pull it down.

“Testify for me.”

Konan turned to face her. Sakura could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It was...it was  _ something _ , and she had to try for it.

“Testify for your people. I’m doing everything I can to bring Danzo down, but if you testify for me that Danzo interfered in your village and instigated unnecessary death, your words will have  _ weight _ . You could be the final piece we need. Please, Lady Konan, I’m  _ begging _ you to testify!” 

There was a pause. Then, Konan pulled down her paper, going from wall to wall to retrieve her seals before making her way to the door.

“It was...pleasant speaking with you, Sakura Haruno.” 

She left, and once again Sakura was left alone with her thoughts.

 

-

 

It was still raining gently as Sakura left the building. A small part of her wondered if the rain was tied to Konan. It was said to always be raining in Amegakure, and ever since the Ame contingent arrived, it had rained almost nonstop. 

It was Naruto who escorted them from the Hokage’s office, under the stated guise of ‘practising being a good host’. Tsunade had seen right through it, Sakura was sure, but she also knew Tsunade was kind enough to the boy to allow him some time to spend with his friends. Sakura was admittedly grateful to have Naruto around as a distraction. He brought a smile to Gaara’s face, and even though he and Sai bickered near constantly, Sakura got the feeling that the two were growing on each other. 

Feeling hungry, Sakura offered to take the three of them to Ichiraku, and Naruto jumped at the opportunity. It was a short walk to the quaint little stand, and from there Sakura got to see the familiar image of Naruto stuffing himself with bowl after bowl of his favorite.

“Are you nervous about the exams?” Sakura asked him once he’d slowed down. “I mean, the last time the exams happened, there was...a lot of other stuff.”

(Next to her, she noticed a somewhat guilty look pass over Gaara’s face.)

“Well, it’s not gonna  _ be _ like last time, is it?” Naruto pointed out. “I’m  _ way _ stronger than I was then, and Ino and Chouji and I have been practising for weeks now. We’re gonna be the strongest team there, you better believe it. And especially with you cheering me on, you know? If you guys are watching me, there’s no amount of butt I won’t be able to kick!” 

“You know I’ll be cheering you on.” Sakura patted Naruto’s back. “But I have to do it  _ quietly _ . I’m not supposed to be showing favoritism towards anyone in any village.”

“Quiet’s fine. I know you’ll still be rooting for me.” Naruto replied with a grin. “I have a ton of cool new moves to show off. But...you still owe me a spar, you know! You promised in your letter, don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

“How about after you’ve gotten your chuunin vest?” Sakura offered. “That way I’ll get to be surprised by your cool new moves when I’m watching the exams.” 

“I  _ guess _ .” Naruto pouted. “Alright, but you can’t put it off after that, okay? After I’ve kicked everyone’s butt at the exams, you better not hold back on me.”

“You know I won’t, Naruto.”

“Good.” 

Naruto kept up a smile for a little while longer, but eventually Sakura saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. The boy turned back to his ramen, poking around at the meat with his chopsticks.

“Do you think he’s gotten stronger too, Sakura?”

He didn’t have to say it. Sakura knew he was thinking about Sasuke. “Definitely.” She answered honestly. “Under Orochimaru, he’d have to be getting stronger.”

“Strong enough to beat Orochimaru?”

“...I don’t know.”

“You’re going to have to go that way eventually, aren’t you Sakura? For that treaty. So...so you’ll be able to check on him, right? If Orochimaru lets you in.”

“That’s a lot of big ‘if’s, Naruto.” Sakura admitted with a sigh. “Trust me, I want to be able to see how Sasuke’s doing, but Orochimaru knows I’m his old teammate. If I show any sign of trying to take Sasuke away from him, he’ll probably try to kill me. And if he doesn’t try to kill me, that’ll pretty much destroy any chance I have of getting Otogakure on the treaty…”

“And why  _ should _ we let them join the treaty?” Naruto suddenly argued. “They  _ attacked _ us! Orochimaru killed the Old Man!”

“And we’ve warred with Iwa and Suna in the past.” Sakura countered. “We’ve killed their shinobi, they’ve killed ours. This isn’t about past grudges. It’s about what’s best for everyone.”

“There’s no way Orochimaru is ever going to join.”

“Then I’ll have tried. That’s all I can do, Naruto, and you know I have to try. Even if all I get out of it is just seeing that Sasuke is okay, I have to try to talk with Orochimaru about the pact.”

Naruto huffed, shoving a particularly large piece of meat into his mouth. Sakura was amused to see that his eating habits hadn’t much improved since she’d left.

“Sakura, I...I don’t think Sasuke is ever going to come home.”

It was the last thing Sakura expected to hear out of Naruto’s mouth. And she didn’t want to  _ agree _ with him, Sasuke meant just as much to Naruto as he had to her, maybe even  _ more _ at this point. Sakura didn’t feel that sinking, dreadful feeling when she thought of Sasuke anymore, but Naruto, at the mere mention of the name, had blown up as he always had.

“Naruto…”

“But there’s somewhere else he could go to be safe. Some _ one _ else he could go to. He could go with  _ you _ , Sakura, don’t you think? You’re trying to bring peace, but you’re also trying to warn everyone about Akatsuki. His brother is  _ in _ Akatsuki. You could help him kill his brother, and then he could stay with you and be an ambassador. You’ll ask him, won’t you? You’ve  _ gotta _ ask him!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll ask him!” Sakura protested. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll need more ambassadors anyway, if he’s willing to join then you know he’ll be welcome.” But Sakura could almost feel in her gut what Sasuke would tell her if she’d dared ask. The Sasuke she saw last had only cared about one thing, one goal. Sakura had gotten stronger in her pursuit of peace, but would Sasuke see that?

Still, with the way Naruto was looking at her, pleading...she couldn’t disappoint her old teammate. Her old  _ friend _ .

“I’ll ask him.” She promised, putting a hand on his shoulder. “No matter what, I’ll make sure he knows he has options. So don’t worry about him, alright? You have exams to worry about.”

“...yeah.” Naruto agreed after a moment, nodding. “Yeah, I..I’ve got exams.” 

 

-

 

Days passed. Sakura began work on her speech, what she’d use to try and persuade the visiting Kages once she could gather them for a meeting. She knew now, thanks to Konan, that she was competing with Danzo for these villages’ allegiance, and if she didn’t sway enough of them, it could lead to another war. Sakura longed to be able to tell Tsunade about the risk, but the more she admitted, the more questions would be asked. Instead, she used her connection to Naruto to her advantage, giving Naruto advice on village security that he could in turn present to Tsunade as ‘his idea’. It served to gain him some favor with his sensei, and helped put Sakura’s mind at ease. If it did came to some sort of scrap, Konoha would already be far more prepared. The medical corps had been bolstered under Tsunade’s rule, and their civilian evacuation protocols updated. Plus, Sakura knew for sure that there would be three villages fighting on her behalf. There was no way Onoki would turn on her, not after helping spearhead the project. Plains more than owed her a favor. And Waterfall wasn’t in this for power or land. She doubted Danzo would be able to sway Shibuki, not when it had taken  _ Shukaku _ to sway him before. 

She knew nothing of the Grass and River villages, but Sakura  _ did _ know Suna. They resented her for ‘stealing’ their Jinchuuriki, and Sakura had no doubt that they would be the hardest to sway to her cause. All Sakura could hope was that she had the right words to make them realize that  _ she _ hadn’t stolen their Jinchuuriki, their Jinchuuriki had willingly left, and was now working for their sake as much as everyone else’s. She wasn’t sure who the new Kazekage was, but whoever it was, Sakura couldn’t help but worry. Suna was one of the Great villages, and if Danzo ensured an alliance, that would be an enemy to be fearful of. 

If Danzo could sway Grass and River to his cause as well, the scales, at least, would be perfectly balanced. One Great village, two smaller villages, and half of Konoha on each side. Sakura knew that Konan wouldn’t stand with Danzo, but she might choose simply to not pick a side. But, if Sakura managed to get just one of the three villages on her side, (or in a perfect world, all three), then the scales would tip in their favor, and Danzo would be less likely to risk war. She had to move quickly and decisively to prevent bloodshed, all without letting any side know that she’d caught onto the game.

Shikamaru had likely already put much of this together, but Sakura had yet to figure out his final cryptic hint. Danzo, or someone he’d swayed, was going to ask her to  _ do _ something, and Shikamaru wanted her to go through with it. She didn’t have a clue what it was Danzo could want from her, or why Shikamaru would want it to, but the thoughts weighed heavy on her mind as the chuunin exams drew closer and closer. 

She spent her days training, mostly with Lee and his team. There was nothing wrong with getting herself in shape, in case the worst happened, and now that she was physically present, that meant Lee could show her some of his more advanced physical training. That alone was enough to keep her mind focused. While she ran, while she punched and kicked, while she did  _ anything _ physical it gave her time to think about her speech and the days to come. 

It was during her second week in Konoha when the other villages began to arrive. It was Suna that reached them first, and like many others in the village, Sakura made her way to the front gate to great the group as they arrived. It was the first time they would be seeing the new Kazekage, and Sakura wanted to see firsthand who one of her future opponents would be.

Life didn’t like to make itself easy for her. Sakura knew she’d gotten lucky in the past, but now it seemed her luck had finally begun to turn around.

How else would it have come to pass that  _ Gaara’s sister _ was given the title Kazekage?

Temari had been a scary girl even when Sakura had first seen her a year ago. But that was nothing compared to how Temari looked at her and Gaara now, sending off enough loathing and killing intent to make her shiver. There was no  _ way _ she was going to be able to persuade Temari, not when things were oh so personal for her. Gaara was her brother  _ and _ the village Jinchuuriki. Temari was the one who had put her trust in Sakura, and Sakura had broken that trust.

“We’re  _ fucked. _ ” Sakura whispered to her companions.

“We’re doomed.” Gaara agreed.

“Glad to know the two of you finally agree with me.” Sai added, his fake smile contrasting to their downtrodden faces.

Sakura couldn’t even find the energy to quip back. As far as she saw it now, Suna was in Danzo’s hands. If she couldn’t sway Grass and River to her way of thinking, war was inevitable.

_ Shikamaru...I hope you know what you’re doing. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Well guys, we are two chapters away from hitting chapter 50. On that similar vein, it has almost been a year since I started writing this fic. We're getting close to 200k words, between here and FF.net SBATC has almost a thousand subscribers, and the other day SBATC hit a combined total of 50,000 views. I cannot express enough how absolutely insane the amount of love I've gotten for this fic is, and I really have to emphasize that it's because of your support that I have been able to write for so long and so consistently.
> 
> I want to do something special for chapter 50, and chapter 50 coincidentally is when the next intermission chapter is going to hit. I figured I could do something like I did before and leave it in the hands of you guys which characters get to feature in this intermission! It is going to be a VERY big chapter. Thus, I am opening a poll for you guys to choose your top FIVE characters that you'd like to feature in this intermission. I am trying Google Surveys this time in an attempt to avoid the weird survey errors I got the last time around, but do let me know if there's any issues and I'll fix them asap. Otherwise, here is the link, and please vote on the characters that you would like to see featured! 
> 
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsd6qm1vtRzmFLKXaA5uE-7jWN15SB3SP_DOZSGuZGK2FTMQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
> 
> Thank you all again for your support!))


	49. Chapter 49

It had now been raining for two weeks straight.

Sakura couldn’t help but take it as a bad sign. She’d never seen so much rain in Konoha in all her life, and even though it came down softly, it never seemed to stop. Sakura had gotten used to walking around her village with a light layer of Gaara’s sand above them, though even Gaara admitted that he had to cycle his sand constantly to prevent it from becoming a shower of mud. Sakura remembered hearing that it was constantly raining in Amegakure (which made sense, given the name), and she wondered at times if it was Konan’s influence. Either way, the rain made everything seem far more depressing.

It hadn’t all been bad, however. Eventually Onoki arrived and she was able to greet her old sensei again, as well as bring him up to speed with all that had happened since she’d left him. (Not quite everything, of course, but what had happened in Taki was not a secret at this point.) It had brought her a bit of comfort to hear Onoki laugh and laugh over her encounter with Itachi. He’d patted her on the back and simply told her: “As expected of my student.” His confidence in her, even now, was something of a grounding point. Perhaps one of the few grounding points she had as she prepared to speak with eight of the most important shinobi on the continent. 

The chuunin exams were due to begin the day after her meeting with the Kage. Watching her friends train for the affair was a decent enough distraction, especially once she  _ really _ saw how Naruto, Ino, and Chouji worked as a team under Shikamaru’s lead. Sakura saw Naruto in a way she had never seen him before, effortlessly working back to back with a team that he trusted with his life. It brought almost a dull ache to her heart; in all her time with Naruto and Sasuke on Team Seven, they’d never worked so flawlessly. Maybe it was inevitable that they had grown apart. Had Sasuke found a team of his own in Otogakure, others that had had gotten more attached to in his time away from Konoha? Or had he wallowed in isolation, so far gone in Orochimaru’s influence that he didn’t even recognize anymore what it was like to have friends?

She would bring Root to justice. And then she would see for herself what Sasuke had become.

On the day of her meeting, Sakura wore her armor. Not to intimidate, but to show, on some level, that she was capable. She had nothing else to bring with her to the meeting but her reputation and her words, and though word  _ had _ spread of her ability to face down Itachi Uchiha and live, she had no doubt word had spread of her other deeds. Aiding a Suna rebellion, ‘stealing’ the Suna Jinchuuriki...all things she would have to justify, or else hope could be spoken around. 

At the very least, she looked the part of a kunoichi. No one would be able to say that a timid little girl was walking into this meeting. Sakura, nerves aside, would walk with her head held high. She was an Ambassador, a student of the Tsuchikage, and the Girl who Undid the Sharingan. 

She prayed to whatever god might be listening that it would be enough.

There was a building, sequestered away from Konoha proper and buried beneath layers of security. There were more seals than Sakura had ever seen in her life, and more Anbu guards than she’d known existed in the village. The building itself consisted only of a single room, and inside was a large, round table. Here the Kage could sit and discuss as equals. 

Sakura was not allowed in at first. There were formalities to uphold, especially as two of the Kage were newly elected and another of the Kage hadn’t met ever met with the others before. Introductions needed doing, as well as a bit of time to clear the air. Sand and Plains were one step away from being at war with each other, and Sakura could only hope that they could make a bit of progress on their own before she was forced into the lion’s den. 

Sakura took her time to go over each Kage in her mind, and what she knew.

Onoki was perhaps the one she knew the most about. He would be an ally, but he also had appearances to maintain. If she spoke stupidly, he wouldn’t defend her. If she acted out of place, he would not intervene. Onoki had spearheaded this project, but he wasn’t foolish. This was Sakura’s chance to rise or fall, and he wasn’t going to push or pull either way.

Shibuki was firmly in her court, but Sakura had promises to uphold. She would have to speak up for the rights of the Bijuu, for better treatment of Jinchuuriki, or else Taki would withdraw. It wouldn’t be difficult to bring the topic up, but Sakura knew it would be met with resistance.

Tsunade also had held her to a promise. Sakura would bring up various medical proposals, as well as tentatively breach the subject of higher age standards for genin.  _ That _ would definitely be met with resistance, but Sakura would keep her word. Tsunade hadn’t insisted these demands be met immediately, only that they be pushed for consistently, and that Sakura could do.

Satomi, the new leader of Plains, already stood in her court as well. Sakura realized she had a bit of leverage over Plains, seeing as she helped put Satomi in charge, which meant that Satomi really  _ couldn’t _ speak out against her. 

Konan was an enigma, but Sakura knew enough to at least guarantee that Konan would not align herself with Danzo. In terms of the neutrality pact, however, Sakura still had no idea where Rain stood. It was just as likely that she would join as it was that she would decline, but even if her decline wouldn’t hurt Sakura  _ now _ , it might help dissuade others from getting on board.

And that left those other three Kage that Sakura had to sway.

Temari was likely to be the biggest problem. Gaara, despite being her brother, did not know her as well as Sakura would have liked, but that could be blamed on the fact that Gaara hadn’t really been close to anyone before Sakura. What Gaara did know was that Temari was ruthless in her own way, and more than capable of holding a grudge. The only reason that Sand had stayed allied with Leaf was because Sand believed reparations were owed due to Orochimaru infiltrating them and forcing them to war. In any other scenario, if any other shinobi were with her, Sakura knew Sand would likely have no issue agreeing to the pact. But because it was her and  _ Gaara _ , it was now personal with Suna, and even more personal with Temari. 

Takeshi was the next problem. The Grass village shinobi were known for being shrewdly diplomatic, and at first Sakura had hoped that they would take to the pact because of this. But she had learned in her readings that when a village referred to something as ‘diplomatic’, they more often than not meant ‘manipulative’. Grass was a small village, often the site of war whenever the larger countries got into spats, and had learned to wield their words as weapons so that they could play ally to both sides and come out with less damage for it. Even if she could sway Takeshi to her side, Sakura couldn’t be certain he wasn’t  _ also _ playing nice with Danzo. 

Finally came Ogano of the Village Hidden in Valleys. (An alliterative mouthful to be sure, and due to this the village was just as often referred to as the River village, for that was the country in which the village resided.) The village was known for being turncoat when it benefited them most, and all Sakura knew of Ogano was that he was a ‘shrew of a man’, and that no outsider could trust his word to be true. 

So Sakura was against two Kage who were just as likely to turn on her as join with her, and one Kage who hated her guts. A lion’s den indeed.

As she finished going through her thoughts, an Anbu approached her, and it was time.

With Gaara and Sai at her flank, Sakura allowed herself to be escorted into the room. All eyes were on her as she approached, and Sakura could see from just a glance that tensions were already high. Tsunade had the look on her face that she’d often got when Naruto was a bit too rambunctious around her, and Onoki’s frown appeared as though it had been permanently chiseled onto his face.

Excellent. Just  _ excellent _ .

There were three open chairs at the table, but Sakura did not allow herself to sit yet. Formalities, she had to remember formalities. She bowed deeply towards the center of the table, towards all of the Kage and yet none specifically.

“Good afternoon. My name is Sakura Haruno and I am here to speak with each of you regarding my Neutrality Project.”

Silence, briefly. Then, from one of them, laughter. Sakura recognized the man as Ogano, who really  _ did _ look like a shrew of a man at a closer glance. He was older, perhaps Tsunade’s age, and wore deep blue garments that Sakura had learned were the official village colors. She could see all manner of weaponry on the man’s person; River had a village known as the Takumi Village, and it was well known for exporting high quality shinobi gear. It made sense that the region’s leader would also be properly outfitted. 

“ _ This _ is the one?” Ogano finally spoke, still shaking with laughter as he did so. “This pipsqueak here is Onoki’s disciple? This must be some sort of joke. She looks like a light breeze might blow her over.”

There was chuckling from the man next to him, who had to be Takeshi. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, and otherwise wore non-descript black clothing. He was a man who gave off the impression of not wanting to stand out, to blend in...and with how he mimicked Ogano, that only confirmed Sakura’s impression.

Temari too seemed amused by Ogano’s declaration, and the other Kage in the room remained silent. Waiting for her to respond. 

Sakura took a deep breath, but before she could speak up, someone else did.

“If you are simply here to trade petty insults, than you might as well not be here at all. I had thought Kage were supposed to be above such behavior.”

To Sakura’s surprise,  _ Sai _ had been the one to speak up, all the while keeping up that serene fake smile she had come to associate with him. She watched as Ogano sputtered, clearly not expecting such a blunt statement out of the boy.

“H-How dare-”

“Quiet.” Gaara spoke up next, his voice taking on a deep echo that seemed to fill the entire room. “Sakura is speaking now.”

Sakura couldn’t see how Gaara looked now, but she knew firsthand how intimidating the Jinchuuriki could be. Whatever Ogano saw on Gaara’s face, it was enough to quiet him. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw a smirk growing on Onoki’s face.

This was...this was  _ okay _ . She wasn’t doing this  _ alone _ , Gaara and Sai had apparently each decided to take on their own roles in full. They were ambassadors as well. They had just as much voice as she.

Sakura took a deep breath and sat down.

“Alright. Shall I begin with outlining the tenants of the treaty?”

 

-

 

Sakura had practiced her speech until she could recite it in her sleep. 

She started with the necessity of peace. War had not been kind to any country, and further spats in the future would only ever be to the villages’ detriment. She made sure to mention exterior threats too. Akatsuki was the most major of these threats, and Sakura believed it was paramount to her argument to emphasize that Akatsuki was full of S-ranked shinobi who were actively seeking out Bijuu. She could name at least half of them and describe what they were capable of, thanks to her own experiences and information provided about Kakuzu and Zetsu from Shibuki. If the villages remained in uneasy division, it would be all too easy for an organization like Akatsuki to pull them apart and seize control for themselves. 

Interestingly, Konan seemed the most interested in what Sakura had to say about Akatsuki. She took down notes and questioned her extensively, and of course  _ every _ Kage listened intently when Sakura described her confrontation with Itachi. Sakura had made the decision early on to not let on to her ignorance as to how she escaped Itachi’s genjutsu. She simply made the claim that she had a knack for breaking genjutsu, and while a Sharingan was intimidating, it was not unbeatable. (She had come to the conclusion that appearing more confident on the matter than she was would only serve to benefit her.) 

There was the matter of the Taki demons too, and while several of the people present scoffed at first, their attitudes changed when Shibuki offered to let any of them examine one of the captive demons that he had brought with him to Konoha. That, the Kage would have to do on their own time, and Sakura hoped that being able to  _ see _ that the demons were real would help further her own cause.

From there, Sakura went into the details of the pact. There were core tenants which would apply to every village that signed on, as well as the possibility for addendums. This was the moment that Sakura chose to bring forth the amendments that Shibuki and Tsunade had insisted upon. She started first with Tsunade’s; the idea of sharing medical knowledge across villages was an appealing one, especially to the smaller villages who likely did not have as much medical support. Raising the age standard for genin was a statement that was met with a couple of scoffs, as well as a direct protest from Temari.

“Under those laws, I wouldn’t be Kage. A shinobi is an adult from the moment they are able to represent their village. If you’re worried about fighting  _ children _ , perhaps it is because you’re worried what losing to a child would do to your village’s reputation.”

“I don’t worry about losing to children. I worry about the permanent damage that can be inflicted upon a child’s stability due to undergoing the stresses of war at a critical age.”

“Big words from you, Leaf Princess.” Ogano retorted. “Was it not true that until quite recently you fell apart at the mere sight of blood? And yet here you stand, now head of your village. Clearly the effects on one’s psyche are not as severe as you would have us believe.”

Sakura could practically see Tsunade’s blood boiling at this. It was a clever move on Ogano’s parts. It not only dismissed the pact, but also threw doubt over Tsunade’s capability as a Hokage. There was an implication beneath the words that Tsunade could  _ still _ fall apart at the sight of blood, there was no way of truly knowing she had recovered yet. 

Sakura spoke before Tsunade could be drawn into a fist fight. “At this moment in time, Lord Ogano and Lady Temari, your opinions do not matter on this addendum. Unless, of course, you are suggesting that you are considering signing the pact?”

“Hardly.” Ogano replied. “But do continue. I find this talk quite amusing.”

Sakura chose to ignore the comment. She couldn’t let the man rile her up, which was clearly his intent.

“Finally, I would like to discuss a proposal involving bequeathing citizen rights to Bijuu, as well as protections for them and their hosts against village discrimination.”

This got another laugh out of Ogano. “So we’re giving rights to monsters next? I doubt they’re even sentient enough to appreciate the sentiment. Next you’ll be asking we give citizen rights to tornadoes or earthquakes.”

“Then it is clear, Lord Ogano, that you are coming from quite the place of ignorance involving Bijuu.”

“So that’s it, then.”

Temari spoke, and this time Sakura could  _ feel _ the hostility leaking off of her,  _ feel _ the killing intent.

“So this is how you justify  _ stealing _ our Jinchuuriki. If you’re a vocal advocate for their rights, then it paints you as the good girl, rescuing the poor Jinchuuriki from the terrible village.”

“I wasn’t  _ stolen _ .” Gaara replied. “I willingly joined with this project-”

“And in doing so crippled our village and aided in a rebellion that has shrunk our borders considerably.” Temari snapped. “I don’t know why you’ve even bothered to try to rope Suna into this. It is clear that you have been our enemy since day one, and any Kage in this room should be considering what it is that Haruno intends to steal from  _ them _ next.”

“And personal grudges aside…” Takeshi finally spoke up, leaning forward onto the table. “What guarantee do we have that you will be able to enforce such a pact? Any village could sign this and simply do as they willed while your back was turned. Or even in plain view of you. A Jinchuuriki might be intimidating, sure, but one Jinchuuriki cannot control an entire village, let alone eight of them. And as for you, Haruno, as Ogano stated before…I am not impressed.”

“And what would it take to impress you then, Lord Takeshi?” Sakura challenged. “I feel as though no matter who sat in this chair, you would doubt their ability to maintain order. If you feel so little towards my capabilities to maintain this pact, then there is no harm in you signing it. As you say, if it is so easy to act while my back is turned, then signing this would only benefit you. You would have access to exclusive trade routes, information, all these things while not having to worry about actually upholding your end of the bargain.”

“Perhaps so.” Takeshi agreed. “But my point still stands. Why you, over so many other more capable shinobi? How do we know you are capable of upholding order?”

“...you don’t.” Sakura answered. “You don’t know. But if you don’t give the opportunity to prove myself to you, you’ll never know.”

“Then I say we give her an opportunity.”

Ogano’s smile sent a shiver down her spine, and Shikamaru’s words came to her.

_ “Danzo...either he or someone under his influence is going to ask you to do something in the coming weeks…” _

“The chuunin exams start tomorrow. That is the real reason all of us have gathered here. If Haruno thinks herself capable of playing peacekeeper between eight shinobi nations, then getting through the exams should not pose a challenge at all for her and her little team. And that would give us a chance to see if her battle skills live up to the rumors going around. I think we should see the little ambassadors participate.”

Sakura felt her blood run cold. “The  _ exams _ ?” She managed to spit out. “Surely you’re joking. We have organizations like Akatsuki working against us and you want me to waste my time taking the  _ exams _ ?” 

“Are you worried you will fail?”

“That’s not the  _ point _ -”

“I agree with Lord Ogano.” Temari spoke up. “Let her participate. If she dies, then we won’t have to worry about any of this anymore, and Gaara will return to where he belongs.”

“It might not be as much of a waste of time as you think, Sakura.” Onoki added. “As silly as it sounds, none of these fools will recognize your talent unless they see it themselves. The exams should hold no problem for my disciple.”

Sakura bit her bottom lip. This was stupid, this  _ was _ a waste of time, and she couldn’t possibly see why…

Oh.

Temari had said it. Temari had just as much  _ admitted _ it.

In the chuunin exams, it was common for a handful of shinobi to die attempting them. Danzo had placed the idea in Ogano’s mind. Danzo  _ wanted _ Sakura to participate. Danzo was expecting her to  _ die _ participating. Legally, which would mean that Gaara and Sai would have no means of retaliating, and from there…

As Konan had told her, it would be ‘Konoha’s resurrection’. Whatever Danzo had planned, Sakura would be unable to interfere if she was dead.

And for whatever reason, Shikamaru had known he would do this, and more importantly,  _ wanted _ Sakura to play along.

“Fine.” Sakura agreed. “Me and my fellow ambassadors will participate in the exams. And once they are done, I hope you will reconsider my proposal. For now, it appears that I have some preparing to do.”

Sakura stood, Gaara and Sai with her, and gave a final, curt bow before turning to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Releasing this chapter a little early so that I can have time to start working on that Intermission. The way ya'll are voting, there is currently a rather close tie for fifth place. If that continues, I may just write six POVs. Ya'll so demanding. :P
> 
> I will, however, be keeping the poll open until Sunday night, so you still have time to vote if you haven't yet!
> 
> This chapter was hard to write. Ugh, politics. I say as I write a political fanfic. This about marks the halfway point for Act Two; as is now I'm sure apparent, the second half of Act Two will be chuunin exams and 'Konoha's Resurrection'. I hope you all will enjoy what is to come.))


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